Calcutta HC refuses to interfere in Mamata Banerjee’s controversial grant decision

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court will not interfere in the Bengal government’s decision to distribute largesse amongst Durga Puja organisers. The court refused to admit the application saying that it can be considered after the next budget.

The court on Wednesday refused to intervene into the state’s order to distribute ₹ 10,000 to each of the 28000 Durga Puja organisers of the state, calling it a legislative decision.

On Tuesday the government’s counsel had submitted in the court that it cannot interfere in a legislative decision. Dyutiman Banerjee and Sourav Dutta had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) against the decision claiming that it violates the secular structure of the Constitution.

This is not the order he had expected, Dutta said. “The observations made by the court in the previous hearings are absolutely contrary to today’s order,” he added. He also said that the petitioners are considering moving higher courts against the present order.

Wednesday’s order will nullify the interim stay the court had imposed on the disbursement of the funds after the petition was filed.