Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday orally observed a legal tussle between the Governor and the Chief Minister of any state is not desirable.
A single-judge bench of Justice Krishna Rao made this observation while hearing a defamation suit filed by West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and three others last year.
A legal tussle between a Governor and a Chief Minister is not good for any party, he said, suggesting that the differences can be settled down through mutual discussion over tea, or in his words “Chai Pe Charcha”.
While accepting the suggestion of Justice Rao, the counsel for the Chief Minister pleaded that this suggestion be mentioned in the direction of the bench for the day. To this, Justice Rao said that he was just making a verbal suggestion and a written direction might be given at a later stage.
The Chief Minister’s counsel and four-time Trinamool Congress MP Banerjee argued in the court that any political personality should show more restraint in any matter. He also questioned the rationale behind the Governor filing a suit when that chair already enjoys some constructional protection.
Countering this, the Governor’s counsel Dhiraj Trivedi pointed out that the chair of the Government is not political at all.
Last year, there was a controversy over the oath-taking ceremony of two newly-elected Trinamool legislators, namely Sayantika Banerjee from the Baranagar constituency in North 24 Parganas district and Reyat Houssen Sarkar from the Bhagabangola constituency in Murshidabad.
Governor Bose insisted that the two newly-elected legislators come to the Raj Bhawan to be administered the oath by him.
However, Banerjee and Sarkar insisted that the Governor come to the West Bengal Assembly to administer the oath ceremony there.
As the issue snowballed, several Trinamool leaders, including the Chief Minister as well as the two newly-elected legislators and state General Secretary Kunal Ghosh, made comments critical of the Governor in the matter.
Thereafter, the Governor filed a defamation suit at the Calcutta High Court against these four, with the Chief Minister’s name the first on the list.
