Calcutta High Court | Photo Credit: Sushant Petronobish
The development by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who has been recused from cases related to the West Bengal school job scam, brought into focus the Calcutta High Court’s repeated directions to central agencies to probe scams, irregularities and incidents of violence in the state. Have done Justice Gangopadhyay had on more than a dozen occasions directed probes by central agencies into irregularities related to the West Bengal school job scam, the last being in the alleged municipal recruitment scam.
Not only Justice Gangopadhyay but several other benches of the Calcutta High Court had directed a probe by central agencies into the irregularities and violence in West Bengal in the last two years.
On April 27, a division bench of Acting Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmoy Bhattacharya directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to probe violence during Ram Navami processions at Shibpur in Howrah, Dalkhola in North Dinajpur and Rishra in North Dinajpur . Hooghly District. The very next day, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha president Indranil Khan filed a petition demanding a probe by central agencies into the killing of a Rajbangshi youth in Kaliachak. The matter will be heard next week.
Reacting to the Calcutta High Court developments, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said, “23 times in 22 months (since the Trinamool came to power in 2021), probes have been ordered by central agencies”.
Coming to power for a third consecutive term in 2021, the Trinamool Congress government is battling repeated orders from the Calcutta High Court, where it directed a probe by central agencies.
The Calcutta High Court directed a CBI probe into the post-poll violence, where several supporters of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) were killed and hundreds were rendered homeless. As the CBI was registering FIRs in cases of post-poll violence, the violence in Bogtui village in March 2022 once again raised questions about the law and order situation. Ten people were burnt alive due to factionalism between local Trinamool Congress leaders and the court did not hesitate to hand over the case to the CBI.
After March 2022, several cases of violence including cases of sexual assault and death of a minor were investigated by the CBI in Hanskhali. A CBI inquiry was directed into the West Bengal school job scam in several cases, along with incidents of violence.
Political observers say that Abhishek Banerjee is right when he says that 23 probes have been ordered by central agencies, but they point out to a large extent that the functioning of the state administration under the Trinamool Congress regime is not trusted by state probes. There may be reason to do so. agencies.
“In most cases where the Calcutta High Court has ordered probe by central agencies, there has been a failure of the state administration. It is not a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, but several judges who have ordered investigations by central agencies on issues ranging from scams to law and order,” said Vishwanath Chakraborty, political analyst and professor of political science at Rabindra Bharati University.
In some cases, such as the CBI probe into the municipal recruitment scam and the attack on Union Minister of State Nitish Pramanik’s convoy, these orders were stayed by the Supreme Court.
Controversy over giving relief to Shubhendu
Another issue that has come up in the legal tussle is the relief granted by the court to Leader of the Opposition Shubhendu Adhikari. Justice Rajasekhar Mantha of the Calcutta High Court granted relief to Mr. Adhikari in the FIR lodged against him by the West Bengal Police. The developments around the relief to Mr Adhikari turned ugly when posters against Justice Mantha were put up in the High Court premises and near his residence. Three bench judges of the Calcutta High Court are hearing the contempt petition.
“The Trinamool Congress has approached the Supreme Court five times challenging the High Court order. The government is spending crores of rupees more just to target me,” Mr. Adhikari has said on the issue.
West Bengal Congress leader’s letter to Singhvi
Court developments have not only resulted in a war of words between the Trinamool and the BJP. A section of the West Bengal Congress leadership is upset with its top leaders representing the Trinamool Congress and the West Bengal government in the Supreme Court. Senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram faced protests in the Calcutta High Court in May 2022 when he appeared for the West Bengal government in a case. State Congress leader Kostav Bagchi said on April 30 that he had written a letter to Abhishek Manu Singhvi, saying that Congress workers in West Bengal were “ashamed” of representing the Trinamool Congress and the West Bengal government in the apex court.