'Mamata's Lawyers Too Have Political Affiliations': Judge on Request to Reassign Nandigram Poll Petition

 'Mamata's Lawyers Too Have Political Affiliations': Judge on Request to Reassign Nandigram Poll Petition.....

Lawyers in the case also have political affiliations. One is from Congress, the other has a BJP background, yet the two are appearing for Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, said Calcutta High Court additional judge Kaushik Chanda on Thursday. The observation was made while reserving the judgment in the recusal application moved by West Bengal CM in petition against Suvendu Adhikari’s win from Nandigram constituency.

“You lawyers also have political affiliations. You (Abhishek Manu Singhvi) are from the Congress and SN Mookherjee has BJP background. But you are appearing for Trinamool chief. If lawyers of other political backgrounds can be trusted, why can’t you trust the Judge with it,” asked Chanda.

In a letter to the secretary of the acting chief justice of the Calcutta high court, Banerjee’s counsel Sanjay Basu had said the CM had already “conveyed her objections and reservations” about Justice Chanda’s confirmation as permanent judge, and so there was “reasonable apprehension…of bias”.

The Bengal CM had said that the judge was an ‘active member of the BJP’ and asked for the case to be reassigned.

The Election Commission had last month declared Adhikari, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly, winner of the Nandigram seat after a close competition with his former mentor.