Kalyan defends April 25 protests against lawyers in HC
Times of India | 1 July 2025
Kolkata: Senior counsel Kalyan Banerjee, while arguing a case over ruckus by a mob outside the lawyers' chambers in Calcutta High Court on April 25, drew a distinction between two sets of protests on the same day. Banerjee told the HC that he had nothing to plead for the lawyers who had stomped on the photographs of Justice Biswajit Basu, but he defended protests against lawyers Firdaus Shamim and others. "These lawyers breached professional ethics. They took up petitions of candidates wanting appointments as work education and physical education teachers. The day when the state govt announced the supernumerary posts to accommodate them, lawyers Firdaus Shamim and Raju Das were on the same page. Later, they took up petitions challenging the creation of supernumerary posts. Some candidates protested against their role. Does it constitute contempt?" Banerjee asked. He said, "These lawyers, other than Bikash Bhattacharya, make comments against govt and the chief minister on several television channels regularly. When challenged, they come running to the court complaining against the affront on the bar and the bench. "
Pleading on behalf of TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, the senior counsel said neither was Ghosh's name in the complaint nor was he present at the spot during the ruckus. Banerjee placed before court a WhatsApp message sent by Ghosh urging people not to breach the law of the land. A three-judge bench of justices Arijit Banerjee, Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Rajarshi Bharadwaj adjourned the hearing till 3. 30pm on July 7.