Mamata Banerjee Faces FIR Over Violation Of Calcutta High Court Order At TMC Event

Former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has been named in a suo motu FIR registered by the Kolkata Police on Saturday for allegedly violating conditions imposed by the Calcutta High Court for holding a meeting at Cathedral Road in central Kolkata on Friday.

The case was registered at Hastings Police Station in Kolkata in connection with the Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) Foundation Day programme held on Friday at Cathedral Road in central Kolkata.

"The FIR has been registered for the alleged violation of the court's order. The role of all those involved in the violation will be examined during the course of the investigation," officials said.

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What happened?

According to the police, the Calcutta High Court had laid down specific conditions and rules for the meeting. The authorities allege that the court-mandated conditions and directions were violated during the programme.

Police officials said that, following the registration of the FIR, an investigation is now underway to determine who was involved and what role each person played in the alleged violations.

Apart from Mamata Banerjee, cases have also been registered against other organisers of the meeting. The police are now conducting a detailed investigation into the entire matter.

The FIR also accuses Banerjee of continuing the programme at Cathedral Road beyond the time limit prescribed by the Calcutta High Court. In the FIR, her followers have also been accused of engaging in scuffles with police personnel present at the venue and obstructing them from performing their duties, reported IANS.

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Among the restrictions imposed by the Calcutta High Court for the rally, one of the most important was that the rally should be restricted to a single lane, while the second lane was to be kept free for traffic movement. The Calcutta High Court had fixed the rally timings between 12 noon and 3 pm.

However, according to the police, both lanes were blocked for a substantial period of time after the programme began, resulting in severe traffic congestion in the area. At the same time, the programme continued well beyond the court-fixed deadline of 3 p.m., the police said.

Mamata Banerjee has also been accused of allegedly inciting her followers to violate the restrictions imposed by the court. According to the police, because of her alleged instigation, her followers were encouraged to violate the court-imposed restrictions and engage in scuffles with police personnel present at the venue.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Adhikari informed us that he had directed the police to register an FIR against his predecessor in the matter. Adhikari said that he had also directed the police to approach the Calcutta High Court regarding the matter and inform the court about how the restrictions imposed by it had allegedly been violated.