Youth Congress members campaign in Siliguri on Wednesday. (Kundan Yolmo)

April 6: The Bengal election — or a part of it — will regain its lost voice four days earlier than scheduled, if a high court order today goes unchallenged.

The ban on loudspeakers in public places will be lifted in north Bengal this Saturday, cutting short the quietest election process ever that made some crave for the familiar sounds of the political spectacle and others relish the peace.

Not to mention the relief of countless politicians who are nursing sore throats. The high court order sent many politicians, including Mamata Banerjee, to chalk out schedules and make the most of the extra time.

Mamata will launch a “carpet-bombing” campaign from Malda on April 10, a day after the mike relaxation.

The restriction that confined microphones to covered areas was originally supposed to end on April 13, when the CBSE exams end. However, that would have left candidates only three days to campaign using microphones as north Bengal goes to polls on April 18. The last day of campaigning falls on April 16.

Calcutta High Court today passed an interim order allowing political parties to use loudspeakers for election campaign from April 9 between 10am and 8pm in six north Bengal districts except Darjeeling town.

The ban will continue in Darjeeling town till April 13 as it has several CBSE schools.

The order, passed by the division bench of Chief Justice J.N. Patel and Justice A.K. Roy, followed a petition filed by Union minister and Trinamul Congress leader Mukul Roy.

“All other examinations except that of CBSE Class XII will be completed on April 8. There will be one CBSE Class XII exam on April 13. So, my client approached the high court seeking an order allowing the use of microphones from April 9,” said Billwadal Bhattacharya, the lawyer appearing for Roy.

The state pollution control board submitted a proposal that said the ban could be relaxed in north Bengal during two windows of 6am to 9am and 6pm to 9pm.

Roy’s lawyer said the purpose of political parties would not be served if loudspeakers were not allowed throughout the day.

The court then passed the interim order but added that “there should be a specific law on the issue”. The court has asked the Election Commission to file an affidavit on the subject and scheduled the next hearing on June 24 by when the poll process would be over.

Moving the petition, Roy’s counsel had said “the right to expression is a fundamental right and no government notification can take it away”. He said such a ban did not exist in Kerala and Assam even though the CBSE exams were being held there also. The bench said: “There should be a uniform rule across the country.”

Congress leaders in north Bengal are relieved. “Even a senior leader like Pranabda (Pranab Mukherjee) who campaigned in north Bengal for two days till yesterday faced this problem (of sore throat),” said Shankar Malakar, the Darjeeling district Congress president and candidate from the Matigara-Naxalbari seat.

CPM leaders, too, conceded the throat effect. “We can’t deny that the ban on loudspeakers created problems and some of us suffered throat problems,” said Jibesh Sarkar, a CPM state committee member from Darjeeling district.

The Trinamul camp is also excited. “The extra days of campaigning with loudspeakers will surely help us,” said Gautam Deb, Darjeeling Trinamul president.