Amid heightened political tensions in West Bengal, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday arrived at the Calcutta High Court. Her presence comes ahead of a crucial hearing related to the recognition of the Leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly.
Mamata reached the High Court premises around 1.50 pm, accompanied by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Kunal Ghosh and Rajya Sabha MPs Derek O’Brien and Dola Sen. Upon arrival, she proceeded directly to the Oath Commission office.
Her visit comes against the backdrop of ongoing legal battles concerning electoral disputes. Mamata had earlier challenged her defeat in the 2021 Assembly elections from Nandigram, where she lost to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari. Alleging irregularities in the vote-counting process, she had filed an election petition in the Calcutta High Court, which remains pending.
In the recently concluded Assembly polls, Mamata and Adhikari, once again, faced off. This time, in the Bhabanipur constituency, where she was defeated. She has once again approached the High Court, alleging large-scale irregularities in the counting process and seeking legal redress.
Meanwhile, the High Court is set to hear the second round of arguments in a case challenging the State Assembly Speaker’s decision to recognise TMC’s rebel MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition. The case has been filed by TMC MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, who has termed the Speaker’s decision illegal. He has argued that the process of appointing the Leader of the Opposition violated constitutional provisions as well as established Assembly rules, and has urged the court to set aside the decision.
During the first round of hearings held last week, the court did not grant any interim stay on the Speaker’s decision. Representing Chattopadhyay, senior advocate and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee questioned the legal basis under which Ritabrata was recognised as Leader of the Opposition, demanding an immediate stay on the decision. However, the State’s Additional Advocate General, Bilwadal Bhattacharyya, strongly opposed these arguments during the proceedings.
Legal observers view Mamata’s presence at the High Court ahead of the hearing as highly significant, especially as the outcome of the case is expected to have far-reaching implications for the political balance within the State Assembly.
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