Calcutta HC Rejects PIL Alleging CM Mamata Banerjee Comments on Monk

The Calcutta High Court disposed of a PIL on Thursday, which alleged that CM Mamata Banerjee had made inappropriate comments about a monk during an election rally.

A division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya observed that such issues cannot be addressed through public interest litigation.

Appearing for West Bengal Chief Minister, Advocate General Kishore Dutta, informed the court that the PIL claimed the chief minister had made remarks about a specific monk during the rally.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) sought a court directive to uphold societal sanctity and prevent any community from being humiliated based on their association with religious or spiritual organizations.

While disposing the petition, the court stated that such issues cannot be addressed through public interest litigation, thus denying the relief sought. The bench did, however, suggest that the petitioner could explore alternative avenues to voice their grievances.

The South Bengal unit of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) had approached the court regarding comments purportedly made by Banerjee against a monk from Murshidabad district during a public meeting held during the Lok Sabha elections.

Read More: Supreme Court, Delhi High Court, States High Court, Other Courts, International