Calcutta HC likens Congress-TMC office row to battle for Delhi throne

The Calcutta High Court refused Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s plea seeking police help to regain a party office allegedly occupied by TMC since 2018. The court compared the dispute to historical battles for Delhi’s throne and directed police to maintain peace

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday compared the fight between the Congress and the TMC for a party office to the battle for the Delhi throne before Independence. The court observed this while refusing Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s prayer for direction to the police to restore possession of a party office at Nowda in Murshidabad district, which he claimed the TMC took over in 2018.

Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya said the court is not inclined to direct the police authorities to take such steps. The court observed that the petitioner may move the civil court to assert their right over the property in question if they claim the building was occupied by any other party. The court directed the police authority to maintain peace and tranquillity in the locality and to ensure no untoward incident takes place.

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Chowdhury claimed that the Congress was dispossessed of its party office, which it had constructed in 2004 at Nowda. It was alleged that Abu Taher Khan, a former Murshidabad district president of the Congress, joined the TMC in 2018 and, as an MP of the ruling party in the state then, had forcefully taken control of the party office.

When Chowdhury’s lawyer stated that the Congress workers went to repossess the party office after the TMC was defeated in the assembly elections but could not, Justice Bhattacharyya verbally observed that the situation resembled the battle for the Delhi throne.”First Mohammed Ghori won, then the Sultanate, then Mughals, then British,” Justice Bhattacharyya said.

Starting from the beginning of the 13th century, various dynasties occupied the throne in Delhi, the foundation for which was laid by Muhammad Ghori, till India achieved Independence from British rule in 1947. The judge said that if the Congress party has any dispute over occupation of the party office in question, it should remember that the TMC was in occupation of the office from 2018.

He said that the court cannot direct the police authorities to vacate the said premises and hand it over to the Congress just because there is a change in ruling dispensation in West Bengal. Chowdhury moved the court seeking direction to the police authorities to take steps permitting the Indian National Congress to take possession of the said party office at Nowda.