Kolkata HC stays demolition of Abhishek’s Amtala party office till regular bench hearing

KOLKATA, July 19: A single judge special bench of Calcutta High Court, that conducted an urgent hearing on Sunday afternoon on the petition filed by the Trinamool Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee, challenging the demolition of his party office at Amtala in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, ordered the administration of a “status quo” in the matter till further court orders.
This means that although the Calcutta High Court directed the state administration not to go for any further demolition exercise, it did not interfere with the action already taken by the administration in the matter.
The single-judge special bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury also observed that since the matter is being referred to a regular bench of the Calcutta High Court and till that hearing is conducted, any further action in the building would stay in abeyance.
He also observed that the details related to the construction should be submitted to the regular bench for further clarification.
During the hearing, Abhishek Banerjee’s counsel and the former West Bengal Advocate General Kishor Datta argued that instead of sending notice to the owner of the building, notice was served on a director of the corporate entity on whose land the building was constructed.
He also argued that, as per Panchayat rules, the notice should have been served first on the owner.
He also accused the district administration of not giving appropriate time for a hearing in the matter. “The notice was served on June 30, and on July 8, we were informed that the date of hearing on July 15 was scheduled.
After that, the demolition started on July 18 without prior intimation,” Datta argued.
In his counterargument, the current Advocate General, Surajit Nath Mitra, informed the court that the details in the matter were mentioned in the notice served on June 30.
According to him, all the provisions were mentioned in the said notice served on June 30.
He also said that the building was constructed without a proper building sanction plan.
Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of the former West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, issued a social media statement on Sunday claiming that despite rulings from the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court holding bulldozer demolitions unconstitutional, his Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency office at Amtala was demolished on Saturday.
“Videos show @WBPolice carrying away trunks filled with laptops, printers, documents, tables, chairs, and other furniture alongside BJP goons. This was not demolition – It was theft in uniform, carried out with utter contempt for the rule of law and while the matter remains sub judice before the High Court. Those meant to uphold the law have become lawbreakers. Shame on West Bengal Police!” the Diamond Harbour MP said in his social media statement.
The demolition of the five-storey party office started on Saturday afternoon.
The South 24 Parganas district administration claimed that the two subsequent notices, first on June 30 and subsequently on July 7, seeking clarification on the alleged illegal constructions, failed to evoke a response and thereafter the administration decided to demolish the illegal construction . (IANS)