Section 79 in The West Bengal Panchayat Elections Act, 2003
79. Disputes as to elections.
(1)If any dispute arises as to the validity of an election under this Act, any person entitled to vote at such election may, within thirty days after the date of declaration of the results of such election, file a petition, calling in question such election on one or more of the grounds specified in sub-section (1) of section 93 and section 94 -(a)before the Civil Judge having jurisdiction where such election is in respect of a Gram Panchayat or a Panchayat Samiti,(b)before the District Judge of the district, where such election is in respect of a Zilla Parishad or the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad.(2)When filing a petition under sub-section (1), the petitioner shall deposit in court, as security for the costs likely to be incurred, -(a)five hundred rupees, where the petition is filed before the Civil Judge,(b)one thousand rupees, where the petition is filed before the District Judge.(3)Every petition shall be accompanied by as many copies thereof as there are respondents mentioned in the petition and every such copy shall be attested by the petitioner under his own signature to be a true copy of the petition.(4)The District Judge may transfer any petition filed before him under sub-section (1) to any Judicial Officer subordinate to him not below the rank of a Subordinate Judge.(5)In dealing with a petition under sub-section (1), the Civil Judge, the District Judge or the Judicial Officer to whom the petition is transferred under sub-section (4) (hereinafter referred to as the Judge) may hold such enquiry as he deems necessary.(6)The Judges shall have all the powers of a civil court for the purposes of receiving evidence, administering oath, enforcing the attendance of witnesses and compelling the discovery and production of documents.(7)The decision of the Judge shall be final and shall not be called in question in any court.
