THE CALCUTTA High Court on Friday issued rule of contempt against IPS officer Vishal Garg and six other police officers in connection with “untoward incidents” that took place on the premises of a court in Howrah in April last year.

A division bench comprising justice Debangsu Basak and Arindam Mukherjee wrote in the order, “…some untoward incidents took place on the premises of the Howrah Sadar court on April 24, 2024. There were allegations that police entered the court premises without any authority and applied disproportionate force which caused not only loss and damages to the advocates practicing in the said court but also amounted to interference or tends to interfere with or obstruct, or tend to obstruct, the administration of justice.”

The court also directed the authorities concerned to initiate criminal contempt proceedings and said, “Contempt rule is made returnable on June 25, 2025.”

Advocate Jayanta Mitra, who represented the lawyers of Howrah district court, claimed, “Vishal Garg was police commissioner of Howrah at the time of the incident. Under his leadership, police entered the court premises without permission. The police personnel concerned have to appear personally and answer the showcause within July 25.”