• Mamata Banerjee can make statements about Governor conforming to law: Calcutta HC
    Indian Express | 28 July 2024
  • THE CALCUTTA High Court on Friday said that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can make statements regarding Governor CV Ananda Bose as long as they “conform to the laws.”

    A division bench of the Calcutta High Court added that Banerjee had the “full right” to say what she wanted as long as her remarks are “not defamatory”.

    The order from a Division Bench comprising Justice I P Mukerji and Justice Biswaroop Chowdhury came after the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) challenged a July 15 single bench ordering an interim injunction on the CM.

    This came after the Governor had sued the CM for defamation over some remarks in connection with the impasse between the Raj Bhavan and the Assembly over the refusal of two TMC MLAs — Sayantika Banerjee and Reyat Hossain Sarkar – to take oath before at Governor’s office.

    Significantly, those remarks had come almost two months after the Kolkata Police launched an inquiry on May 2 into the sexual harassment allegations by a female staff of the Raj Bhavan against Governor Bose. The Governor had then said he would not be “cowed down by engineered narratives”.

    The High Court, which first heard Bose’s plea on July 3, said in its order on Tuesday: “Admittedly, the plaintiff (Bose) is a constitutional authority… the plaintiff will further suffer irreparable loss and injury of his reputation (if an interim order is not granted in his favour)”.

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