Calcutta High Court Dismisses Plea Against 'Bangla Bandh'

The Calcutta High Court dismissed a plea to declare the 'Bangla Bandh' by the BJP illegal. The petitioner, Sanjoy Das, was previously debarred from filing PILs and fined Rs 50,000 for false statements. The bandh was in protest against police action during a march organized over the RG Kar hospital incident.

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea against the 12-hour 'Bangla Bandh' called by the BJP. The petitioner, Sanjoy Das, had been perpetually debarred from filing public interest litigations (PIL) by the court in an earlier verdict.

Sanjoy Das, who identified as a practicing lawyer at the high court, claimed the bandh should be declared illegal. However, the division bench led by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam upheld the ban on Das presenting PILs due to previous false statements and attempts to intimidate the office of the chief justice.

Imposing a Rs 50,000 fine on Das for his previous conduct, the court reaffirmed that his actions constituted an abuse of the judicial process. The 'Bangla Bandh', initiated by the BJP, began at 6 am as a reaction to the police treatment of participants in the 'Nabanna Abhijan' march, which protested the rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar hospital.

(With inputs from agencies.)