- Calcutta High Court orders West Bengal to hand over land for border fencing by March 31
- Court stresses national security cannot be delayed for elections or administrative reasons
- West Bengal has transferred only some plots against 235 km required for Indo-Bangladesh fencing
The Calcutta High Court has set a March 31 deadline for the West Bengal government to hand over already acquired land for fencing along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen passed the order while hearing a petition alleging the state's failure in providing land for fencing.
The division bench said the land already acquired in nine districts must be transferred to the Border Security Force (BSF) without any delay so that barbed wire fencing can be erected along the Indo-Bangladesh border.
National security obligations cannot be delayed in view of administrative or electoral considerations, the court stressed, adding that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists, election preparation, and other reasons should not be accepted to justify non-compliance with the order.
Noting that Bengal shares half of India's total border with Bangladesh, it also pointed out that large stretches of the boundary remain unfenced despite multiple decisions taken by the Cabinet since 2016 in this regard.
The petitioner, Subrata Saha, a retired army officer, had earlier accused the state of failing to hand over possession of land for fencing, which he claimed had contributed to smuggling and cross-border infiltration.
Read: India Fenced Over 93% Border With Pakistan, Almost 80% With Bangladesh
The counsel for the centre asserted that the state is constitutionally obligated to hand over the land to the BSF despite it being in the state's jurisdiction, since compensation has been paid and approvals have been granted in this regard.
The Union Home Ministry sent repeated reminders, but the Bengal government handed over only some plots against the 235 km required for fencing, the counsel told the court.
Expressing concern over the pending land transfer, the bench asked both the centre and Bengal government to file affidavits if an emergency acquisition of land can be done due to security considerations. The matter will be taken up again on April 2.
BJP leader and Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar said that the court order has sent a strong message to Mamata Banerjee's government. Calling it a "slap on the face for the West Bengal government," he hoped that this would "wake up the (Bengal) government from its slumber."
BJP's Rajya Sabha MP Sudhanshu Trivedi described the order as "appropriate, suitable, and commendable." "It is also a very clear and unambiguous signal that exposes the Trinamool Congress government of West Bengal and proves that the INDIA alliance and all its constituent parties, including the Trinamool Congress, are frustrated due to their continuous defeats, and the Trinamool government in West Bengal is frustrated by its inevitable defeat," he said.
The ruling Trinamool Congress, meanwhile, targeted the BSF. The force has not yet fully fenced the land that was handed over by the Bengal government, said senior Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh, calling it "political jugglery".
