Abhishek Banerjee Calcutta High Court row: Justice Rao asks TMC MP to list judges ‘with the BJP’

The Abhishek Banerjee Calcutta High Court row sharpened on Thursday when Justice Krishna Rao asked the Trinamool Congress MP, through his lawyer, to name the judges he considers to be with the BJP, IANS reported. The remark came during a hearing on Banerjee’s plea against a cut in his security cover, and the court reserved its order, ETV Bharat reported.

Justice Krishna Rao asks for a list of judges

The state’s Additional Advocate General, Billawdal Bhattacharya, drew the court’s attention to a recent social media message from Banerjee, the Diamond Harbour MP. The message accused the Kolkata Police of constant surveillance around his residence, The Hans India reported. Bhattacharya argued that it challenged the judicial system and the dignity of the courts. “This is contempt of court,” he said.

Justice Rao answered sharply. “Ask your client (Abhishek Banerjee) which judges are with the BJP and which are not! Ask him to give a list; I will look into it,” he said, according to the IANS copy on Punjab Kesari.

Banerjee’s counsel said the comments were made in the context of petitions pending before the court for several months. The reports did not reproduce the post itself, and they did not say whether any contempt proceedings have begun.

Abhishek Banerjee Calcutta High Court hearing: the security petition

The hearing was on the Abhishek Banerjee security petition, a challenge to the cut in his cover from Z+ to X category. He had Z+ security from 2013 on the basis of threat perception. The cover was downgraded on 11 May, two days after the new government was sworn in on 9 May, ETV Bharat said.

The state told the court there was no threat perception or concerning intelligence input about Banerjee. Justice Rao pressed it on process. “Why was no review meeting held over the last six months to examine Banerjee’s security?” he asked, and he also wanted to know whether any rule barred a review committee from meeting before six months.

Key numbers

• Z+ to X: the security category cut challenged in the petition, per ETV Bharat.
• 2013: the year Banerjee began receiving Z+ cover, according to the same report.
• 11 May: the date of the downgrade, two days after the 9 May swearing-in.
• 6 months: the gap with no review meeting, the point Justice Rao raised with the state.
• 6 times: how often Banerjee has been attacked, his lawyer Shoaib Alam told the court, per ETV Bharat.

What each side argued about contempt of court and safety

Alam said Banerjee was attacked in front of his home at 2 am a few days before the hearing, on his birthday. He argued that the downgrade has left his client vulnerable and said the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Yellow Book entitles Banerjee to Y category security.

The state’s counsel took the opposite line on the remarks about judges. “A criminal case should be initiated against the TMC MP for making such remarks,” the counsel said. These are allegations made in court by the state, and no court finding on contempt has been reported.

What happens next

In the Abhishek Banerjee Calcutta High Court case, the order on his plea is reserved, and ETV Bharat did not report when it will be pronounced. The state said a committee is due to meet again towards the end of November to review the matter. Whether Banerjee’s side files the list Justice Rao asked for has not been reported.