The Calcutta High Court has dismissed a petition filed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) over an alleged attempt to remove its temporary bookstall near the 8B bus stand in Jadavpur during Durga Puja, leaving the legal basis for the decision unclear until the order is made public.
The case was heard on Tuesday by a bench of Justice Parthapratim Roy. The CPI(M) had approached the court after alleging that police and municipal officials attempted to dismantle the stall on the evening of Saptami, the seventh day of the festival. The party claimed that a bulldozer had also been brought to the site.
According to the report, the incident led to an argument between CPI(M) workers and supporters and the officials involved, creating tension in the area. The party questioned whether the administration had issued any legal notice authorising the removal of the temporary structure.
The petition alleged police overreach and argued that the action against the stall was unlawful. The CPI(M) sought directions to ensure that the administration did not undertake similar action in the future. The court, however, dismissed the case during Tuesday’s hearing.
The detailed reasons for the dismissal were not available in the report, and a copy of the court’s order had not been made public at the time of publication. It is therefore not clear whether the petition was rejected on procedural grounds, because of the specific facts presented, or for another legal reason.
The Jadavpur dispute forms part of a wider disagreement over temporary CPI(M) bookstalls set up during Durga Puja in different parts of West Bengal. The party has alleged that attempts were made to stop or remove its stalls at several locations. Similar proceedings were earlier initiated over a stall in Bongaon.
In that matter, a single bench of the High Court, presided over by Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, had allowed the CPI(M) to operate the stall, according to the report. The state government challenged that direction before a division bench comprising Chief Justice Rabindra V. Ghuge and Justice Shabbar Rashidi. The division bench subsequently stayed the single-bench order.
The report links the developments in the Bongaon case to the allegation that an attempt was then made to remove the Jadavpur stall. That connection remains the party’s stated position and has not been established through the detailed court order in the Jadavpur matter.
The dispute also comes amid allegations that BJP workers obstructed bookstalls at some locations. BJP state president Shamik Bhattacharya said that his party had no connection with such actions. No separate official explanation from the police or municipal authorities regarding the Jadavpur operation was included in the report.
The case highlights the administrative question of how temporary structures are permitted, regulated or removed from public spaces during high-footfall festivals. The immediate legal position in Jadavpur will depend on the reasons recorded in the court’s order, which had not been released when the case was reported.
