Calcutta High Court Dismisses PIL Challenging BJPs 12-Hr Bandh, Cites Order In Previous Matter Indefinitely Debarring Litigant From Filing PILs

The Calcutta High Court has dismissed a PIL filed by Sanjoy Das, challenging a 12-hour Bandh called by the BJP, due to alleged police action against protestors who were marching to the State secretariat in 'Nabanna' to demand justice for the RG Kar rape-murder victim

Police deployed tear gas and water cannons when the crowd became unruly and began breaking barricades and throwing stones at them.

A division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivgananam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya observed that the litigant, Das, had been debarred from filing PILs in the previous matter, where he had challenged the roster allotted to a judge by the Chief Justice.

In that matter, the bench had imposed a cost of Rs 50,000 on Das, and invoked the Calcutta HC Appellate side rules to prevent him from ever filing a PIL again.

Thus, by virtue of that order, the present plea was dismissed as non-maintainable.

Case: Sanjoy Das v State of West Bengal