Kolkata, July 31: The Kolkata High Court‘s single-judge bench issued a stern warning on Friday to former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s faction of the Trinamool Congress. This warning came in response to a violation of a court order regarding the maximum number of participants allowed at the Shaheed Diwas rally held on July 21 in front of the Birla Planetarium in central Kolkata.
The court stated that the allegations of exceeding the participant limit were serious. It emphasized that future adherence to court directives must be strictly observed.
A petition was filed last week in the Kolkata High Court accusing Banerjee’s faction of gathering more participants than permitted by the court. The petitioner claimed that this led to both lanes in front of the Birla Planetarium being blocked, despite a clear court order mandating that one lane remain open for vehicle traffic.
The matter was heard on Friday afternoon before Justice Sougata Bhattacharya. At the end of the hearing, the judge expressed regret over the violation of the previous court order concerning the maximum number of participants and the blockage of both lanes in front of the Birla Planetarium.
The bench also warned that if such violations continue, the court would be compelled to take stringent action.
Initially, the Kolkata Police had denied Mamata Banerjee’s faction permission to hold the rally at the traditional site in front of the CESC House near Esplanade Crossing on July 21. Following this, they sought permission from the Kolkata High Court, which granted it but imposed strict conditions.
Two main conditions were that the number of participants should not exceed 2,500 and that one lane in front of the Birla Planetarium should remain clear for vehicle movement.
However, the actual number of participants far exceeded the 2,500 limit, resulting in both lanes being blocked and causing significant traffic congestion in the busy area.
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