The Calcutta High Court on Monday initiated contempt proceedings against eight individuals for allegedly heckling lawyers near the court premises on April 25, including senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya. The Court has directed them to file their replies by June 16, the next date of hearing.
A special three-judge bench comprising Justices Arijit Banerjee, Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya, and Rajarshi Bharadwaj passed the order after perusing a report submitted by Kolkata Police Commissioner, in compliance with an earlier directive issued on May 2.
The Court noted that although the alleged contemnors were represented by legal counsel during the hearing, none of them had submitted affidavits in response to the contempt allegations. The bench reiterated its earlier direction to the Police Commissioner to ensure the safety of advocates and to prevent recurrence of such incidents.
The Court had taken suo motu cognisance of the alleged incident, which occurred at the junction of Kiran Shankar Roy Road and Old Post Office Street, close to the high court. The bench directed that CCTV footage of the incident be preserved as part of the investigation.
On May 2, the bench had observed that prima facie a case of criminal contempt had been made out, stating that the conduct interfered with the administration of justice and amounted to scandalising the judiciary. The same day, Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam constituted the special bench to examine the matter.
The Commissioner of Police was also asked to hold an inquiry and identify all those involved in the incident, as well as to ensure the ongoing protection of lawyers working in and around the high court premises.
