Court Orders Preservation of Election Materials in Ghatal Lok Sabha Case

The Calcutta High Court has directed the preservation of all documents and CCTV footage related to the elections in Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency, pending the disposal of an election petition filed by BJP candidate Hiranmay Chattopadhyaya against TMC candidate Deepak Adhikari. The court will rule on a forensic audit request next month.

On Friday, the Calcutta High Court directed the preservation of all documents and CCTV footage regarding the elections in the Ghatal Lok Sabha constituency until the resolution of an election petition filed by BJP candidate Hiranmay Chattopadhyaya.

Trinamool Congress's Deepak Adhikari was declared the winner in Ghatal, following the May 25 elections. The court ordered that all pertinent documents, devices, CCTV footage, and digital video recorders concerning the Ghatal election be safeguarded by the responsible custodians.

Justice Bivas Pattanayak instructed the high court registrar to deliver a copy of the order to the Chief Election Commissioner of India. The petition, which claims irregularities and corrupt practices, also seeks a forensic audit of the CCTV footage, which will be decided on a hearing scheduled for September 6.