The Chairman of the Bar Council of West Bengal Ashok Kumar Deb has written to Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana seeking the removal of Acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court Rajesh Bindal alleging bias on his part.
“We would like to set out some instances which has given rise to perception that Hon’ble Bindal is an unfair, biased and partial judge and whose continuance at the Hon’ble High Court interferes with the fair and impartial dispensation of justice,” the six-page letter by Mr. Deb said.
Mr. Deb, who is also a Trinamool Congress MLA, refers to the way bail to the four accused in the Narada case was withheld without hearing the accused and “improper listing” of various cases, including the election petition of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The letter referred to listing the election petition before Justice Kausik Chanda “while being completely and fully aware of Hon’ble Justice Chanda’s long-standing association with the BJP”.
In letter dated June 25, 2021, Mr. Deb while referring to social media posts said that “an impression is sought to be given that Hon’ble Justice Bindal is BJP’s man through and through”. The communication also refers to a letter by Justice Arindam Sinha on May 24 , 2021, wherein the Judge has taken “serious exception to the manner in which the Narada bail matter was handled by the Division Bench headed by Hon’ble Justice Bindal”.
“We beseech Your Lordship to take immediate steps for removal of Hon’ble Justice Rajesh Bindal as a Judge of Calcutta High so that the majesty and sanctity of the Calcutta High Court is upheld and to ensure people’s confidence in judiciary does not fall to pieces,” the letter said.
The BJP described the letter as an attempt to “browbeat the judiciary” and said that reason for seeking Justice Bindal’s removal was political.
“Just because Calcutta High Court is holding the Mamata Banerjee administration to account for the post- poll violence, the CM is using Ashok Kumar Deb, TMC MLA from Budge Budge, under the garb of Bar Council, to seek the removal of acting Chief Justice. Bid to browbeat judiciary?,” BJP leader and co-observer to West Bengal Amit Malviya said.
