Calcutta High Court Seeks Suvendu Adhikari’s Reply to Mamata Banerjee’s Bhabanipur Election Petition

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari to file a written reply by October 1 to an election petition filed by former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who has alleged irregularities in the counting of votes in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency during the state elections earlier this year.

Justice Gaurang Kanth issued the direction while hearing Banerjee’s petition, which alleges large-scale irregularities during the counting process.

Adhikari, who contested the election as a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, defeated Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress candidate, by 15,105 votes.

Following the result, Banerjee approached the High Court through her counsel, Kalyan Banerjee, a four-time Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member, challenging the election outcome over alleged counting irregularities.

During an earlier hearing in August, Adhikari’s counsel, Joydeep Kar, had sought additional time to respond to the petition. Justice Kanth granted three weeks and also directed the preservation of election-related documents, including electronic voting machines (EVMs) and CCTV footage.

On Tuesday, Kalyan Banerjee was absent from the hearing, and his son, Sirshanyo Banerjee, appeared on behalf of Mamata Banerjee.

The petition alleges irregularities at Sakhawat Memorial Girls’ High School in South Kolkata, where votes were counted on May 4. Banerjee has claimed that her counting agent was beaten and removed from the counting centre towards the end of the process, creating an opportunity for alleged irregularities.

She has also alleged that she was prevented from entering the counting centre for a prolonged period despite being a candidate.

The petition further claims that the returning officer for Bhabanipur was a close confidant of Adhikari, who was then the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.

The High Court has directed Adhikari to submit his written response by October 1.