Kolkata: The Mamata Banerjee government will not be approaching the Supreme Court on the Durga idol immersion row as the Calcutta High Court verdict was in its “favour”, Trinamool Congress MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee said on Friday.
Speaking to News18.com, Banerjee claimed the media had “erred” in reporting that the High Court had revoked the government’s ban on idol immersion on Muharram, October 1.
“Yesterday, most of the media reported wrongly information that the High Court revoked the state government’s decision on banning immersion on Muharram day. Actually, the court’s verdict went in our favour,” he said.
Asked to explain, Banerjee said, “In the court’s order, it is categorically mentioned that the immersion is only allowed if “found permissible”. Now, the state government has to decide whether immersion is permissible on Muharram or not. It is up to the state government and the police department to take the final call depending on the situation.”
“We are not going to move Supreme Court because the Calcutta High Court order is actually in our favour. Some people are trying to politicise the issue. Let them do it. The state government is empowered to take the call on whether it is conducive to allow immersion on October 1 or not.”
CM Mamata Banerjee convened a high-level meeting with the senior officials on Friday to take a call on whether to allow immersions on Muharram. Top officials, including chief secretary, home secretary, DGP, Commissioner of Kolkata Police and divisional DCs, were present in the meeting, but the outcome was not immediately known.
The state government’s restrictions on Durga idol immersion after 10 pm and ban on immersions on Muharram day had triggered a furore, with the BJP accusing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of playing the “politics of appeasement”.
Striking down the diktat on Thursday, the High Court directed the West Bengal government to make necessary security arrangements and asked it to chalk out designated routes for immersion and 'Tajia' processions.
“You (government) cannot act on mere assumption that law and order situation might deteriorate owing to Vijaya Dashami and Muharram falling one after the other…. Don’t pass order based on dreams about possible law and order issue. Place facts with logic. Unfair to interfere in people’s religious freedom,” the court had said.
“Just because you are running the state does not mean that you can pass arbitrary order. You are exercising extreme power without any concrete logic.”
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