A peculiar incident took place inside Calcutta High Court in West Bengal on 7 August when Justice Jai Sengupta ordered the removal of a shivling in a case of land dispute. However, Assistant Registrar Biswanath Rai unexpectedly passed out as he was recording the decision after which the former declined to interfere in the conflict again.
He was brought to the High Court Health Centre after the instance, the reason behind which was unknown and the judge returned to his chamber. The latter eventually made his way back into the courtroom after ten minutes and informed that the court won’t intervene any further in the matter.
A disagreement involving two Khidirpur residents, Sudeep Pal and Govind Mandal of Murshidabad Beldanga led to the pronouncement. An altercation transpired between the two sides which also turned violent in May of this year following which they submitted complaints to the Beldanga police station against each other. The lower court had granted bail to both parties.
However, things took a fresh turn when Sudeep Pal appealed to the authorities, accusing Govind Mandal of installing a shivling on the disputed land. He demanded that the aniconic idol be taken down and alleged that no action was initiated by the police. He then reached the high court against the inaction of the latter.
The judge questioned Govind Mandal’s attorney about the religious structure and the reason behind its erection on contested ground. According to Mrityunjay Chatterjee, the Shivling was not put in place by his client, rather, it emerged from the earth on its own.
The judge subsequently issued a directive for its removal. The assistant registrar, however, collapsed unexpectedly as he was recording the verdict. Now, the lower court will handle the issue as a civil case.
