Calcutta HC asks Bengal CM to reply to Mamata’s petition on Bhabanipur

Kolkata, Sep 29 (SocialNews.XYZ) Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to submit a written reply to the election petition filed by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging massive counting irregularities in the Bhabanipur Assembly Constituency during the West Bengal Assembly polls earlier this year.

Justice Gaurang Kanth asked Adhikari to file his written reply by October 1.

In the election earlier this year, Adhikari, contesting as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, defeated Mamata Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress candidate, by 15,105 votes.

Following the result, Mamata Banerjee, through her counsel and four-time Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Kalyan Banerjee, filed an election petition at the Calcutta High Court alleging massive counting irregularities at Bhabanipur.

Earlier, during a hearing in August, Adhikari’s counsel Joydeep Kar sought time to respond, and Justice Kanth granted three weeks. At that time, the court ordered the preservation of election-related documents, including EVMs and CCTV footage.

On Tuesday, Kalyan Banerjee was absent from court, and his son, Sirshanyo Banerjee, appeared on behalf of Mamata Banerjee.

The petition alleged irregularities at Sakhawat Memorial Girls’ High School in South Kolkata, where counting was conducted on May 4. Mamata Banerjee claimed her counting agent was beaten and thrown out of the centre towards the end of counting, allowing irregularities to take place.

She also alleged that she was prevented from entering the counting centre as a candidate for a long time. Another allegation was that the returning officer for Bhabanipur was a close confidant of Adhikari, who was then the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.

Source: IANS