The Calcutta High Court has sought a police report on why the CPIM was denied permission to set up a book stall near a Durga Puja pandal in Bongaon, North 24 Parganas, while questioning whether one group could be allowed to operate a stall and another be refused permission.
The case was heard on Wednesday before Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya after the CPIM approached the court alleging that it had been prevented from setting up a stall at a location where it had operated one for several years. The party said other organisations had been granted permission, including the Hindu Jagaran Mancha.
During the hearing, Justice Bhattacharyya asked why there should be a difficulty in allowing a book stall. “You are not giving a lottery shop, you are giving a book shop. What is the difficulty?” the judge said, according to the report placed before the court.
The judge also observed that permission could not be granted to one side while being denied to others, and said the voice of an opposition political party should not be suppressed in this manner. The remarks were made while the court examined the dispute over the CPIM’s application to install the stall near the festival venue.
The state government, represented by Advocate General Surjit Nath Mitra, argued that the matter did not concern police inaction or overaction and therefore should not be heard by the present bench. He said the CPIM had applied to the sub-divisional officer for permission, but the land belonged to the Public Works Department.
According to the state’s submission, the CPIM should have applied to the Public Works Department instead. The Advocate General also requested that the matter be transferred to the appropriate bench, saying that cases involving the sub-divisional officer or the Public Works Department should not be heard by the current bench. The High Court follows a pre-determined roster that assigns different categories of cases to specific benches.
The court said it would consider whether to release the case from the bench. Before doing so, however, Justice Bhattacharyya sought a report from the police on which organisations were operating book stalls after obtaining permission from the Public Works Department. The report is expected to clarify whether other stalls at the location have received the permissions cited by the state and the CPIM.
The dispute places the immediate question of a festival stall within a broader administrative framework involving public land, departmental authority and equal treatment of applicants. The available report does not indicate that the court has issued a final direction permitting or rejecting the CPIM’s stall. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on Thursday.
