The high court on Monday directed the state election commissioner to allow journalists and photographers to enter booths during the civic elections on June 19 and take photographs. The media, however, will not have access to the enclosures where people will cast their votes.

The judgment was delivered by the division bench of Justice A.K. Ganguly and Justice Tapan Kumar Dutt on a petition by former Trinamul Congress councillor Tarak Singh, which challenged a poll panel order barring entry of journalists and photographers within 200 m of the booths.

The judges observed that the Supreme Court had repeatedly stressed the citizens? right to know whether a particular election was being held in a free and fair manner.

The bench ruled that the accredited journalists and photographers would have to seek permission from the district election officer (district magistrate of South 24-Parganas) for entering the booths.

The poll panel was ordered to ensure the security of the candidates, agents, officers and voters. ?If any candidate or his agent seeks police protection, he will make a representation to the appropriate authorities? The authorities should consider the prayer and grant the necessary protection,? the bench ruled.

Appearing for the petitioner, Arunava Ghosh and Amalesh Roy submitted that the state poll panel had been acting against Supreme Court orders by preventing journalists and photographers from entering polling booths.

?The apex court has even ruled that video cameras be installed in the booths. But the poll panel, by issuing the directive, is trying to keep the voters in the dark about the progress of the election,? Ghosh said.

The Congress, BJP and All India Legal Aid Forum joined the case supporting the petition. L.C. Behani appeared for the state, Idris Ali for the Congress and Tarakeswar Pal for the BJP.