West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar has slammed Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee over the latter’s remark criticising the judiciary for ordering CBI investigations.
Abhishek Banerjee, speaking at a meeting in Haldia on Saturday, had said there were one or two people in the judiciary who were working in complete harmony. “I feel ashamed to say that there are one or two people in the judiciary who are in hand-in-gloves and have a tacit understanding and are ordering CBI investigation in every case. This is just 1 per cent of the judiciary.”
“If you think you will take action against me for speaking the truth, then I will speak the truth a thousand times,” he had said.
Reacting to the remark, Governor Dhankhar said, “In the SSC case, the CBI has directed that the judge’s attack on him is reprehensible. An MP has crossed all limits. Constitutional institutions in the state are under attack. The Chief Secretary should take immediate action.”
“Yesterday, I said how one percent of the Calcutta High Court is working jointly with the Centre to protect some people. People are watching, they know who is actually crossing the red line,” he added.
In retaliation, Abhishek Banerjee said: “People are watching who is violating the boundaries.”
Meanwhile, two lawyers moved the Calcutta High Court seeking suo motu cognisance of Abhishek Banerjee’s comments which they claimed lowered the prestige of the judiciary and prayed for issuance of contempt rule against him. They even petitioned for a self-motivated case. The Calcutta High Court has suggested filing a case in this regard.
The High Court on Monday dismissed the plea, observing that it does not find the utterances by him “scandalise the authority of the court in any manner.”
Hours later, Abhishek Banerjee repeated his earlier allegation and said: “I can always criticise a judgement. It is my right. All I am saying is that one per cent of the judiciary is protecting people under instructions from top officials of the central government. We respect the judiciary. It may order CBI probes in all cases. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that our government will cooperate with the CBI. But what is the credibility of the CBI?”
The state government and Governor Jagdeep Dhankar have been always been at loggerheads.
Dhankar recently said the state government’s decision to make Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee the chancellor of univrsities instead of Governor is in wake of the SSC corruption case.
Dhankar said, “My responsibility is to protect the constitution. The state government wants to reduce the power of the governor.”