The Calcutta High Court has directed the West Bengal government to report on action taken after an attack on the Kolkata home of lawyer and CPI(M) leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, while also raising questions about the safety of lawyers facing attacks outside court premises.
The issue was brought before the division bench of Chief Justice Rabindra V. Ghuge on Thursday. The state has been asked to inform the court on Friday about the steps taken in connection with attacks involving lawyers, including the incident at Bhattacharya’s residence in East Jadavpur.
During the hearing, advocate Kalyan Banerjee said lawyers opposing the state government were in a “frightening situation” and wanted to cease work. The Chief Justice responded that he would ultimately oppose such a step, saying that he had been a lawyer throughout his life and still considered himself one.
Banerjee argued that the matter was not limited to lawyers and alleged that outsiders were carrying out attacks. He questioned what the police and intelligence agencies were doing. The Additional Advocate General appearing for the state told the court that the police would take definite action. He also referred to an earlier incident during a previous government when slogans were raised outside a judge’s residence.
According to the report placed before the court, a masked person attacked Bhattacharya’s home earlier on Thursday morning. The attacker allegedly threw liquor bottles at the house, breaking window glass, and used abusive language while taking Bhattacharya’s name. The incident was captured by the property’s CCTV cameras.
The hearing also referred to earlier attacks involving advocates Kalyan Banerjee and Shamim Ahmed. The court was told that first information reports had been registered, and it sought details of what action followed those complaints. The state is expected to provide that information at the next hearing on Friday.
The court noted that security at the High Court could be increased if necessary, but observed that it would not be possible to station police personnel outside every individual’s home. That distinction places the immediate issue within a broader question of how the state protects legal professionals while maintaining the limits of residential security arrangements.
The attack on Bhattacharya’s residence was condemned by leaders of the Trinamool Congress, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, according to the report. The matter has now moved from a local police incident to a court-monitored inquiry into the response to attacks involving lawyers and the adequacy of existing security measures.
The state government is required to inform the division bench on Friday about action taken in the reported incidents and the investigation into the attack at Bhattacharya’s home.
