The Calcutta High Court on Sunday ordered a status quo order for the demolition of a building in Umtala in South 24 Parganas district where Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee has his office in the Lok Sabha constituency, lawyers attending the emergency hearing said.
An urgent court petition seeking a stay of the demolition ordered by the district administration was filed by Leaps & Bounds – a company in which Banerjee’s father Amit Banerjee is a director – which also had a large office in the building. The TMC also approached the bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury as a formal defendant.
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“While appearing for Leaps & Bounds, former State Solicitor General Kishore Dutta told the court that the demolition was carried out illegally without giving any notice to the company. The court ordered a halt to all demolition activities and directed the parties to maintain status quo till further orders or next hearing. The matter will be heard again after the government submits its response,” said a lawyer, requesting anonymity.
The case was specially earmarked for hearing on Sunday morning after Leaps & Bounds and TMC requested the court’s intervention.
On Saturday, the South 24 Parganas district administration demolished Banerjee’s party office in Amtala after it was found to have been constructed without an approved building plan and in violation of applicable rules.
The operation began on Saturday morning, with police and central forces cordoning off office buildings with guard bars.
Around noon, three bulldozers were brought in, and the administration began dismantling the shed in front of the office, then demolishing the front part of the building. Fire and emergency services personnel were also present as a precaution.
A senior official in the state government said that the measure was implemented after completing the necessary administrative procedures.
“The administration initiated (the demolition process) in accordance with applicable laws and after following the required procedures. The action is related to alleged violations of building rules and is not linked to any political consideration.”
