Calcutta HC Stays Mamata’s Meeting in Hooghly on Friday
Division Bench halts Friday event after Bengal government challenges single-bench order
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has ordered a stay on Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee's party meeting at Sreerampore in Hooghly of West Bengal, on Friday following objections by the state government about its venue.
A division bench of Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghughe and Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty of the HC passed the order on Thursday afternoon and scheduled the matter for hearing at 12 pm on Friday.
The division bench's ruling came after the state government challenged Justice Sougata Bhattacharya’s order, passed earlier in the day, before it. In his order, the judge had allowed Ms Banerjee to address a meeting under strict conditions instead of taking out a rally.
He also identified the meeting venue at Mahesh Jagannath Dev Snanpiri Maidan between 1-3 pm with 2,000 participants, barred any inflammatory comments to avoid communal tensions and directed adequate police arrangements.
Earlier TMC moved the HC for permission for a rally with 5000 participants around 2-5 pm in the area alleging that police did not allow it to them. The state government, however, challenged the single bench's order at the division bench immediately.
It pointed out that the meeting venue has been located on personal property and used for religious purposes. The venue owner also submitted no interest to allow any political event on the premises.
