Calcutta High Court halts demolition of Abhishek Banerjee's Diamond Harbour constituency office

The Calcutta High Court on Sunday ordered that the demolition of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee's Diamond Harbour constituency office at Amtala in South 24 Parganas be halted for the time being, granting interim relief while seeking records related to the property from the West Bengal government.

Holding a special sitting, Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury directed the state government to place before the court all documents concerning the building, which is reportedly owned by Leaps and Bounds. The court ordered that status quo be maintained on the demolition until the end of July and said the matter would be taken up by a regular bench thereafter.

The order came after Leaps and Bounds approached the High Court challenging the demolition drive. According to the Enforcement Directorate in an unrelated case, Abhishek Banerjee serves as the chief executive officer of the company.

The South 24 Parganas district administration had begun demolishing the structure on Saturday, stating that it had been constructed without an approved building plan and in violation of applicable building regulations. District officials said the action followed findings that the construction did not comply with the required permissions.

Banerjee, however, rejected the allegations, maintaining that the premises function as his Diamond Harbour constituency office and were built on legally purchased land after securing all necessary approvals. He described the demolition action as unjustified and asserted that the construction complied with legal requirements.

A status quo order means that no further action affecting the disputed property can be taken until the court hears the matter again or issues fresh directions. With the interim relief now in place, the demolition process will remain suspended until the case returns before the High Court later this month.

With PTI inputs