Calcutta High Court
‘Serve People As Living Gods’: Justice Rabindranath Samanta Bids Farewell To Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court on Friday convened a Full-Court Reference on the occasion of Farewell of Justice Rabindranath Samanta. He was elevated to the Calcutta High Court as an Additional Judge in August 2021, and was made a permanent judge in May 2022. Prior to being elevated, he had served as a member of the District Judiciary in West Bengal since 1987, and had risen through various ranks of...
WB Panchayat Elections: Calcutta High Court Seeks SEC's Response On Allegations Of Forced Withdrawal Of Nominations
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday sought the response of West Bengal State Election Commission (“SEC”) to allegations regarding forced withdrawal of nominations filed by candidates for the upcoming panchayat elections, slated to be held on July 8.“We don’t understand how the Commission is being run…the voters themselves are complaining that someone who was desirous of...
Coal-Cattle Scam: Calcutta High Court Directs Single Judge To Decide Afresh Plea For CBI Probe Into Murder Of Trader Raju Jha
In a case concerning a murder investigation linked with the infamous coal and cattle scams in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court today said that the powers of a Court to transfer an investigation from one investigative agency to another, particularly a central investigative agency, must be exercised “sparingly” and only along parameters as laid down in multiple decisions of the...
High Court Slams Kolkata Municipal Corporation For Engaging Contractual Employees To Permanent Posts, Restrains Their Termination As One Time Measure
The Calcutta High Court has pulled up the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (“KMC”) for its practice of engaging contractual workers to carry out the tasks of permanent employees against the settled position of law in various rules of recruitment, as well as precedents laid down by the Supreme Court from time to time. A division Bench of Justice Arijit Banerjee and Justice Apurba Sinha Ray...
“Writ Of Certiorari And Quo Warranto Can Peacefully Coexist”: Calcutta High Court Allows Amendment For Addition Of Prayer In Writ Petition
The Calcutta High Court recently allowed a plea seeking to insert prayer for writ of Quo Warranto in a Writ petition filed seeking a writ of Certiorari for quashing a Notification issued by the Minority Affairs and Madrasah Education Department of the State.A single-judge bench of Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya held that it would be within the powers of a Writ Court under Article 226 of...
'Polls Should Be Stopped If Bloodbath Continues': Calcutta High Court Orders CBI Probe Into Violence During Nominations For Panchayat Elections
The Calcutta High Court today directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe into alleged instances of violence and corruption that have taken place during nominations for elections to the Three-tier Panchayati Raj System in West Bengal, slated to be held on July 8. A single-judge Bench of Justice Amrita Sinha took exception to the claims of abject violence taking place at the...
“If Officials Are So Busy, They Better Wind Up”: Calcutta High Court Flays SEC For Requisitioning Inadequate Central Forces Amid Panchayat Elections
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday issued fresh directions to the West Bengal State Election Commission (“SEC”) to requisition the deployment of additional central paramilitary forces for the WB Panchayat Elections 2023, within 24 hours.A division bench of Chief Justice Sivagnaman and Justice Uday Kumar took exception to SEC requisitioning only 22 companies of paramilitary forces as...
“Part Of Kolkata’s Heritage”: Calcutta High Court Directs Govt To Constitute Committee To Examine How Tram Services Can Be Preserved
The Calcutta High Court today directed the State of West Bengal and its Transport department to form a committee to examine, and submit a report as to how Tram services can be "restored, maintained and preserved" in the city of Kolkata.The Bench comprising Chief Justice Sivagnaman and Justice Ajay Kumar Gupta passed the order in a PIL for preservation of remaining stretches of tram railways...
Unmarried/ Widow Daughter Of Employee Who Superannuated Or Died Prior To DCRB Scheme Entitled To Family Pension: Calcutta High Court Full Bench
A Full bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday held that family pension can be extended to unmarried/ widowed daughter of an employee who superannuated or died prior to coming into force of the Non-Government Educational Institution Employees (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Scheme, 1981, which came into effect on and from 1st April, 1981.The bench comprising Justice Harish Tandon,...
Calcutta High Court Dismisses PIL Against Smart-Electricity Meters Filed Over "Baseless Apprehension" That It Would Affect Thousands Of Jobs
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday dismissed a PIL filed on behalf of the Spot Billing Meter Readers Welfare Association, seeking directions against the installation of smart-billing electricity meters over apprehension that they would jeopardise the jobs of thousands of meter-readers. While petitioner acknowledged that technology should not be resisted, he expressed concern that a wide-scale...
In Folklore Lord Jagannath Travels In Chariot, Police Prohibiting Rath Yatra Amounts To Interference With Religious Practice: Calcutta High Court
The Calcutta High Court on Monday, urgently took up a matter concerning the Jagannath Rath Yatra festival to be celebrated in West Bengal, culminating on the 20th of June 2023. A single-bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha held that the Howrah Police’s directives in not allowing a chariot procession to take place by devotees of Lord Jagannath, would be unreasonable and amount to...
Calcutta High Court Reserves Judgment In PIL Against "Unilateral" Appointment Of Interim-VCs By Governor
The Calcutta High Court today reserved its judgment in a PIL filed by a retired professor, questioning the alleged illegality with which the Governor of West Bengal, acting as de facto Chancellor of State Universities, unilaterally appointed interim Vice-Chancellors.The petitioner said consultation with the relevant State Departments is mandatory under the UGC norms and prayed for issuance of...