Kolkata: Senior Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya on Thursday moved a plea in the Calcutta High Court seeking suo moto cognisance of ‘HC had been purchased, judges are biased’ remark made by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. 

The Bengal CM made the remarks in the aftermath of Calcutta HC ruling which scrapped almost 24,000 teaching and non-teaching jobs which were part of SSC recruitment scam.

The plea has been mentioned before a division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya.

“This is criminal contempt, I am submitting the newspaper reports. I am praying this is taken cognisance of since the AG will not give consent. She is saying the entire HC has been sold. We do cases with a lot of difficulties. Judges hear us at great length and then passed orders. She has said court has been purchased, judges are biased. Everyone is laughing at us, this has put us into ridicule. These are persistent attempts just to ridicule the HC,” stated the counsel.

Bhattacharya also submitted newspaper clippings from both regional and English newspapers which had covered the CM's remarks. It was stated that the court would have to take suo moto cognizance since the AG would not grant consent to proceed against the CM.

Another plea was also filed challenging the same remarks made by the CM as well. Accordingly, the Court has directed for affidavits to be filed in the matter, and has listed it for hearing.