Centre moves SC for withdrawal of security forces from Darjeeling

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NEW DELHI : The Central government on Wednesday sought the Supreme Court`s nod for withdrawing the remaining four companies of security forces from West Bengal`s trouble-torn Darjeeling and Kalimpong for their deployment in poll-bound states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland.

The government was permitted to file an application for the withdrawal of central security forces as lawyer Wasim Qadri mentioned it before the bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra.

The matter was listed for hearing on Wednesday but could not be taken up.

The top court had on November 27 permitted the government to withdraw upto four companies of the central security forces from Darjeeling and Kalimpong as it cited the normalcy in the situation.

In November, the government had justified the withdrawal of security forces contending that that the situation in these districts was under control and there was free movement of traffic and goods, including fuel on the highway going to Sikkim.

On October 27 last year, the Centre was allowed to withdraw seven companies of central paramilitary forces from these areas to deploy in then poll-bound Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat.

The Centre had moved the top court challenging a Calcutta High court verdict setting aside the central government`s order for withdrawing the security forces from the trouble-torn districts facing the Gorkha agitation.