North Bengal, Jalpaiguri shocked by Calcutta HC verdict

The Calcutta High Court’s verdict on Friday holding 16 people including four senior administrative officers guilty of imposing a month-long bandh in Jalpaiguri courts and for not taking any action to open the bandh respectively has come as a shock for people of North Bengal and Jalpaiguri in particular.

Both the general people and Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench O Sarbik Unnayan Dabi Aday Samannoy Committee which is fighting for the setting up of a circuit bench of Kolkata High Court in Jalpaiguri are contemplating a mass movement against the verdict and go to the Supreme Court with an appeal against the verdict.

Among those 16 people against whom the High Court issued probably the unprecedented verdict are State Police DG, Jalpaiguri district magistrate R Ranjit, Jalpaiguri SP, Tripuirari and CI of Jalpaiguri Kotwali, Prasanta Chanda. Among others against whom six months imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2000 were announced are former CPM MP from Jalpaiguri Jiten Pal, Congress MLA from Jalpaiguri DP Roy, Pratima Bagchi RSP leader, Probal Raha Forward Block leader, SP Biswas secretary of North Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mukuleshwar Sanyal who had presided over the meeting of the Committee on December 23 2006, Somnath Pal Trinamul leader, Binoy Kanta Bhowmik who had presided over the meeting of the Committee on December 10 2006, Amal Roy of the CPI (ML), Rabindra Nath Choudhary of the BJP, Sanjay Chakraborty secretary of Jalpaiguri Welfare Association, Sadan Bose secretary of Jalpaiguri merchants’ Association, Subash Dutta of the CPI (ML), Chitta Dey convenor of Coordination Committee of Plantation Workers.

All these people are the members of the Committee and are actively involved in the movement demanding a circuit bench of Calcutta High Court in Jalpaiguri.

Reacting over the court’s verdict, Sujit Sarkar, the joint secretary of the Committee and general secretary of Jalpaiguri Bar Association said the verdict has come as a shock.

Stating that the verdict is an attack on democracy and a mere misuse of power, Sarkar said the committee will continue to launch the movement for circuit bench and will appeal the Supreme Court against the verdict.

The High Court has given a 21 days time for appeal in the Supreme Court. Gautam pal assistant secretary of the Committee said that the verdict will not Stop North Bengal people to continue with the movement for Circuit Bench.

Talking to Hindustan Times from Delhi, Congress MLA DP Roy said he will appeal to the Supreme Court. However Roy denied elaborating his future course of action saying that he is yet to get the details of the verdict. Similar reaction was given by Jalpaiguri district magistrate, R Ranjit. Ranjit said he is yet to get the copy of the verdict.

Taking strong note of the suspension of all judicial activities from December 15 2006 to January 16 2007 in Jalpaiguri, the Calcutta High Court in January end had summoned 16 people before it.

All the courts in Jalpaiguri remained closed for one month as a result of the movement of the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench O Sarbik Unnayan Dabi Aday Samannoy Committee.

As per the court’s version the police and district administration also did not take any step to open the courts. The demand for circuit bench of Calcutta High Court has always remained bone of contention and a matter of dispute and the Samannoy Committee has been alleging a section of Kolkata based lawyers for creating obstacles and conspiring against setting up of circuit bench in Jalpaiguri as it according to the committee would entail a big professional loss for them.

In case of Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench, everything from infrastructure to the Union Cabinet clearance is ready. But, the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court is yet to fix the formal date of inauguration as requested by the Union Cabinet on June 16 last year.

The Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court referred the matter to the Full Bench and the Bench is yet to take the decision. The High Court’s present verdict has come as a big setback for the Committee which was anxiously waiting for the High Court Chief Justice to fix up the date of Circuit Bench’s inaugural.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/