The Supreme Court is expected to hear a petition filed by Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on November 15 in the matter related to his demand for the transfer of the petition of Mamata Banerjee from Calcutta High Court to any High Court outsides of Bengal.
Fearing a fair hearing may not be possible in Calcutta High Court, Adhikari had moved a petition before Supreme Court on July 14 to transfer the case. His petition is expected to be taken up as the Supreme Court has told his lawyer that it has asked the SC registry not to remove his petition from the cause list for November 15.
TMC leader and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had moved a petition at Calcutta High Court challenging her defeat at Nandigram assembly seat against Suvendu Adhikari with a thin margin. Hearing of her petition at Calcutta High Court had many twists, including Justice Kausik Chanda of Calcutta High Court recusing himself from hearing.
In his petition, Adhikari had alleged that right after the result of the Nandigram seat was announced, Mamata Banerjee started making baseless objections and allegations against the election. Adhikari said that she directed her supporters, party members and high-ranking officer bearers of the newly constituted West Bengal Government to start a scurrilous campaign to cast doubts and aspersions upon his fair and square victory from Nandigram seat.
He said that Mamata Banerjee in absolute violation of the spirit of democracy refused to accept the result. Adhikari charged Bengal chief minister for “misusing her office to interrupt and/or interfere with the functioning of constitutional bodies.” He said that as a petitioner he has apprehensions about a fair trial.
Giving grounds in support of his petition he said that potential witnesses in the election petition, who may provide crucial evidence and may possibly depose against Mamata Banerjee, may be threatened. He said that it was not unprecedented for her to unduly influence the case in her capacity as the sitting chief minister of West Bengal.
Adhikari feared documentary evidence required for a fair trial in the election petition may be tampered with, suppressed, or concealed by her by using the state machinery. Adhikari mentioned instances of alleged lawlessness and insinuation by her. He referred to the instance of her biased views against Justice Kaushik Chanda and how TMC leaders Derek O’Brien and Mahua Moitra had cast aspersion on the Justice a BJP loyalist.
He referred to the case of her leading TMC workers in a protest at the CBI office in Calcutta following the arrest of some TMC leaders and ministers in the Narada scam case. “This is yet another stark example of Banerjee misusing her political clout and position to hold at ransom independent bodies like CBI,” he said.
