Kolkata, August 28: The Kolkata High Court‘s single-judge special bench has refused to issue an interim order regarding a petition filed by a faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) led by former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
This petition pertains to the removal of an illegal billboard from the rooftop of the office of TMC General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee, located on Camac Street in central Kolkata.
Earlier in the day, the petitioners requested that the billboard, which was taken down by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) employees on Thursday evening, be reinstated.
Following the hearing, Justice Raja Basu Chaudhary’s bench declined to issue any orders, stating that the case is still in its preliminary stages. The bench cannot provide an interim order until all relevant parties submit their affidavits.
Justice Chaudhary further noted that the petitioners could bring the matter back to court for a detailed hearing only after all affidavits are filed.
In their petition, the faction led by Mamata Banerjee also sought the names of KMC employees and Kolkata police personnel who were involved in removing the billboard from the Camac Street office.
However, the court rejected this request as well. KMC officials asserted that according to municipal regulations, prior permission and tax payment are required to erect hoardings or billboards within the municipal area. They informed the court that these regulations were not followed in this case, and no permission was obtained.
Tension escalated on Camac Street on Thursday when KMC officials, accompanied by Kolkata police, arrived to remove the illegal billboard from the office of Abhishek Banerjee, a member of Parliament from Diamond Harbour and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew.
After two clashes between police and TMC workers, the billboard was finally removed. Abhishek announced that he would approach the Kolkata High Court regarding the matter. On Friday morning, Kolkata police released a statement indicating that they had arrested 13 TMC workers in connection with the Camac Street dispute and registered three cases.
The two cases registered at Shakespeare Sarani police station were based on complaints from KMC officials and included names such as Abhishek Banerjee, TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien, and party leaders Humayun Kabir and Baishwanar Chatterjee.
Additionally, a third case was filed against unknown individuals based on a complaint from an officer at Park Street police station.
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