Kolkata: Quoting a part of Chief Minister Banerjee's speech at the Alipore court on Tuesday, lawyer Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya filed a plea accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of contempt of court at the Calcutta High Court today. Justice TS Shivagnanam has advised filing the affidavit by Thursday.
On Tuesday, lawyer Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya complained about a part of Chief Minister Banerjee's speech at the Alipore court. Bhattacharya read out a newspaper clipping that quoted a part of Banerjee's speech where the Chief Minister allegedly said, "Chief Justice is not here. I will tell Subrata (Talukdar) who is here. This is my personal opinion, please don't take away the job so easily."
The Chief Minister was referring to all the cases of Group C, Group D, Primary, Class IX, and Class X are pending before the Division Bench of Justice Talukdar. With the education minister in jail, for the last few months, West Bengal education recruitment scam has become a major cause of embarrassment not only for the government but also for the ruling party itself.
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Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay and Justice Biswajit Bose have dismissed the recruitment of thousands of candidates in several cases, including the appointment of Group-D, Group-C, and 9th-10th teachers over the past few months. Fresh cases of corruption are coming to light daily in the CBI-ED investigations. In such a situation, the Chief Minister's statement at the Alipore court is significant in view of the impending Panchayat polls.
Earlier, the Chief Minister had commented that the jobless would be re-employed, and that had started a debate in court. In his submission, Lawyer Bhattacharya has accused Banerjee of encouraging corruption since she is sitting on the post of Chief Minister of the state. In this regard, the division bench has asked the litigants to give their statements through affidavits. The bench will decide on Thursday.
The case of contempt of court against Chief Minister Banerjee has raised concerns among legal experts and political analysts. It is alleged that the Chief Minister's speech undermines the judiciary's authority and independence. The judiciary is an essential pillar of democracy, and any attempt to undermine it can have severe consequences for the rule of law.
In recent months, there have been several instances where the judiciary has been at loggerheads with the ruling party in West Bengal. The case against Chief Minister Banerjee is just the latest in a series of controversies that have engulfed the state. The ruling party is facing severe criticism for its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the deteriorating law and order situation, and the rising cases of corruption in the state. The opposition parties have been vocal in their criticism of the ruling party's policies, and the case against Chief Minister Banerjee is likely to intensify the political discourse in the state.
