Kolkata, Sept. 1 -- The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday questioned the purpose and maintainability of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging remarks made by Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee, observing that PILs were increasingly being used as a "special tool or weapon".
A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty expressed reservations over entertaining the petition and sought to know why the court should accept
allegations made in the manner presented by the petitioner.
The plea concerns a speech Banerjee delivered on June 2 in connection with the killing of Bangladeshi activist Sharif Osman bin Hadi. The petitioner alleged that her remarks went beyond inflammatory speech and had implications for India's sovereignty, national security and foreign interests. Several FIRs have subsequently been lodged, invoking provisions including sedition and the Official Secrets Act.
Senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee, representing TMC, disputed the basis of the PIL and questioned how developments in Bangladesh could be treated as a threat to India's internal security.
He also pointed to the absence of specific material establishing an Official Secrets Act violation. The matter will be heard next on September 14.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.