Supreme Court Urges Kolkata High Court to Expedite Decision on Controversial Signboard Removal

New Delhi, September 7 (Daily Kiran) : The Supreme Court of India has directed the Kolkata High Court to expedite its decision on a petition from the Trinamool Congress. The petition challenges the removal of a signboard displaying the party’s name and logo from the office of MP Abhishek Banerjee, located on Camac Street in Kolkata.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohan, heard the case. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Trinamool Congress, argued that the signboard was taken down without any prior notice, asserting that the High Court erred in stating that no cause of action exists following the removal.

The Chief Justice remarked that the removal of the signboard does not negate the party’s grievance. If the court accepts their claim, the High Court must allow the party to raise the issue.

Sibal reiterated that the party seeks the reinstatement of the signboard, emphasizing that they were not given any notice before its removal. He stated that on August 26, the Kolkata police were informed of the need for security during the signboard’s removal, yet no notice was issued to the party.

He expressed that the High Court did not address whether a notice had been issued, simply concluding that since the board was already removed, no action could be taken. Sibal highlighted that as a registered political party, the signboard’s removal without notice was unjust, stating that commercial entities would not face such treatment.

Following the arguments, the Chief Justice’s bench ordered that the interim order from August 28 did not resolve the merits of the pending issues. Since the High Court is considering the matter, the parties should be allowed to present their arguments freely. The Supreme Court requested the High Court to make a prompt decision on all matters raised.

The Supreme Court also clarified that statements made in the disputed order would not hinder the parties from presenting their cases before the High Court.

This dispute stems from the removal of a large billboard featuring the All India Trinamool Congress name and logo from the roof of Abhishek Banerjee’s office on August 27.