WB Bar Council urges CJI to remove Calcutta acting CJ, accuse him of bias

In a rare move, the Bar Council of West Bengal has urged Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana to remove Justice Rajesh Bindal as acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court immediately.

It has branded Justice Bindal as a “BJP’s man through and through” in hearing the CBI’s plea against bail for four heavyweight Narada sting bribery accused on May 17, and assigning Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's election petition to another judge, Justice Kausik Chanda, which the party has linked to the BJP.

On Saturday, the state level lawyers’ forum chairman Ashok Kumar Deb in a letter to the CJI accused Justice Bindal of “being unfair, partial and biased” and alleged the way the CBI petition was dealt with, “sets serious doubts over the conduct and character of Justice Bindal. Justice Bindal by an order dated 17.05.2021 had stayed an interim order of bail passed by the Special CBI Court in favour of members of a certain political dispensation without giving the aggrieved parties an opportunity of being heard.” According to advocate Deb, “Justice Bindal does not have any regard for judicial propriety and has committed a mockery of the judicial conscience.”

He also pointed out the “absurdity and insanity” of Justice Bindal in assigning cases and petitions to judges like Justice Chanda who “is an erstwhile member of BJP and is someone who takes great pride in such an association.” Deb also stated that Justice Chanda, yet to be made a permanent judge, “is known to have a deep and profound association with the BJP and it’s leaders” which hints that he would not be able to deliver “impartial justice.”

On the CM’s election petition, Deb argued that though it was scheduled to be heard by Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharya as civil matters are heard by a single judge on the original side of the HC, “Justice Bindal snatched away the matter from Justice Bhattacharya’s determination and assigned the same to his favourite judge” Justice Chanda.