Petition filed in Calcutta HC against Abhishek Banerjee over anti-judiciary comments

Kolkata, April 29 (IANS) Calcutta High Court counsel Kaustav Bagchi, who recently joined the BJP after quitting Congress, on Monday filed a petition at a division bench of the court seeking suo motu action against the 'anti-judiciary' remarks made recently by Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

However, the division bench of Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bagchi advised Bagchi that instead of filing a separate case in the matter he should be a party in the case already registered in the court based on a similar petition filed by CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya.

Already, Revolutionary Socialist Party leader Ashok Ghosh had written to the Chief Justice seeking action against Abhishek Banerjee for his anti-judiciary comments.

Last week, Abhishek Banerjee made the comments referring to a recent order of the high court cancelling 25,753 appointments in teaching and non-teaching posts made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in 2016.

Indirectly referring to former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who is the BJP candidate from the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat, Abhishek Banerjee had said, "The judge, who was hearing the school job cases earlier, is a BJP candidate now. While occupying the chair of the judge, he admitted that the BJP was in touch with him for quite some time and he was also in touch with the party. Now since that judge has joined the BJP, the Calcutta High Court should cease to exist."