HC halts demolition of Abhishek’s Amtala office in urgent hearing | Kolkata News

Kolkata: Calcutta High Court, in an urgent hearing on Sunday, ordered a status quo on the demolition of the five-storey Amtala building in South 24 Parganas which serves as Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee’s Diamond Harbour constituency office, until the end of July or until further orders. The matter will be placed before a regular bench on Monday.Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury also directed the state to produce records of the Amtala building. The interim stay came on a writ petition filed by Leaps and Bounds — the company whose CEO is Abhishek Banerjee — which called the demolition “malicious and illegal.”Demolition had resumed on Sunday morning under elaborate security, with a large contingent of state police and central forces deployed around the barricaded premises.Officials deployed bulldozers, air compressors and used vibrators on the rooftop to weaken reinforced concrete slabs and a hydraulic hammer on walls and window structures.During the operation, a server room on the third floor was located with the aid of a crane. Sources said the room contained computer systems, hard disks, laptops and CCTV-related equipment, which were seized and removed for examination.BJP’s Abhijit Das separately alleged that bags of clothes and white shrouds were recovered from the premises, claiming they were meant to intimidate BJP workers and their families.In court, Banerjee’s counsel, senior advocate Kishore Datta, argued that the company had not been given an opportunity to respond to allegations that the building lacked sanction.“The demolition is going on. Everything is being looted in front of the security forces and we are helpless. Article 300A is a constitutional right. By statute, a demolition order must first be served, and only if the owner fails to comply can the authorities demolish and recover the cost,” he submitted.Datta also flagged that since the ED had already attached the property, the SDO had no authority to demolish it.Advocate General Surajit Nath Mitra opposed the stay, arguing there was no document establishing the building had any sanction. “They say the notice went on June 30. It’s not a lay person who doesn’t understand anything,” he submitted. When the AG questioned invoking the court’s extraordinary jurisdiction on a holiday, Datta replied sharply: “Why did you demolish on Saturday?”Justice Chowdhury told the AG that the matter would be placed before the regular bench, directing authorities to “hold your hands” in the interim. The AG resisted, saying: “He is not a villager who has come before the court. He is well-advised.”