In a significant development, the Calcutta High Court has initiated contempt proceedings against eight individuals, including Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh, for allegedly heckling and intimidating lawyers within the court premises during ongoing proceedings related to the recruitment scam.
The contempt rule was issued by a specially constituted three-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, consisting of Justices Arijit Banerjee, Sabyasachi Bhattacharya, and Rajarshi Bharadwaj. The court acted on a suo motu motion based on an incident that took place outside a courtroom, leading to serious disruptions during court hours.
"By our order dated May 2, 2025, we had recorded that prima facie we are satisfied of commission of criminal contempt by the alleged contemnors. We had granted liberty to the alleged contemnors to file their replies within a fortnight from the date of receipt of notice."
The suo motu case, registered under Case No. CRLCP 5 of 2025 with CRLCP 6 of 2025, and tagged with CRLCP 7 of 2025, was taken up following serious allegations that certain individuals, including a political leader, had verbally intimidated members of the legal community outside a courtroom.
The High Court had previously instructed the Police Commissioner to place on record the CCTV footage of the corridor where the alleged incident occurred. Despite this opportunity and the clear directive of the Court, none of the accused parties filed an affidavit in response to the allegations.
"Today all the alleged contemnors are represented through learned Advocates. None of them has filed any affidavit. The allegations against them remain uncontroverted. There will be Rules against the alleged contemnors."
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The Court emphasized that since no rebuttal had been submitted by the alleged contemnors, the charges of contempt stand unchallenged at this stage. Accordingly, contempt rules were framed against all eight individuals, including the TMC leader.
The High Court has scheduled the matter for further hearing on June 16, 2025, at 12:30 PM, by which time the alleged contemnors are expected to respond to the charges. The Court also clarified that all these matters would be heard together in the next sitting.
"The Rules are made returnable on June 16, 2025 at 12.30 p.m. Let all these matters appear under the heading 'Contempt' in the Combined Daily Cause List of that day. Liberty to the alleged contemnors to file affidavit-in-opposition by June 10, 2025. Reply, if any, by June 14, 2025."
This case stems from escalating tensions surrounding the multi-layered investigation into irregularities in recruitment processes in the state, which has already attracted significant media and public attention. The High Court’s suo motu action reflects its firm stance on upholding the dignity of the legal profession and maintaining discipline within its premises.
Case: In Re:- Suo Motu Proceedings by Hon'ble Court No. 1 with CRLCP 7 of 2025 In Re:- Court on its own motion : Raju Das & Ors.
Case No: CRLCP 5 of 2025 with CRLCP 6 of 2025
