A three-judge Special Bench of the Calcutta High Court hearing a contempt motion on Tuesday directed that no meetings or processions are held, or placards are displayed at any place inside the court premises and anywhere outside till the court is hearing the matter.
“Since this Court is seized of this matter, we direct that no meetings, processions, agitations, shall be held or placards shall be displayed within the premises of this Court or anywhere else concerning the subject issue and this direction shall be given due publicity by the Registrar General by intimating to the three wings of the Bar as well as displaying the same in the notice board and also posting the same in the official website of this Hon’ble Court,” the order said.
The Special Bench comprising Justices T.S. Sivagnanam, I.P. Mukerji and Chitta Ranjan Dash is hearing a suo motu contempt rule issued by Justice Rajasekhar Mantha over protests outside his courtroom on January 9. Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Prakash Shrivastava formed the Special Bench on January 12 to hear the suo motu rule of contempt issued by Justice Mantha on January 10.
The court also directed the Commissioner of Police to file a report before the court “as to who was the person, who had placed the order for printing the posters containing certain defamatory statements about the Hon’ble Judge, the printer who printed the posters and the persons, who were engaged to affix those posters”. Posters against Justice Mantha had come up on the High Court premises and near his residence.
The Bench also noted that one person has submitted to the Registrar General the names of 12 people who were allegedly present in front of Justice Mantha’s courtroom on January 9. The matter will come up for hearing again on February 2.
