West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee upheld her statement on Monday that women had expressed fear about visiting Raj Bhavan while contesting a plea by Governor CV Ananda Bose before the Calcutta High Court.
The single-judge bench led by Justice Krishna Rao reserved the interim order on the governor’s defamation suit against the TMC Supremo.
Bose, represented by his lawyer, stated that the remarks made by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee about the governor were libellous in nature. Calling the TMC leader’s comments "hateful,”, the lawyer said that the use of such words against the governor was not desirable.
In response, Banerjee’s counsel, SN Mookherjee, argued before the court that the remarks made by the Chief Minister were “fair comments made in the public interest” and were not libellous.
Firmly standing by her earlier remark, Banerjee’s lawyer said that she merely voiced the apprehensions of women over certain alleged activities in Raj Bhavan.
"The nature of the so-called defamatory statement by the CM, 'women have informed me that they do not feel safe visiting Raj Bhavan,' is based on a real incident where a woman publicly expressed her discomfort in May. This statement was not challenged at the time,” he stated.
Mookherjee further stated that he is ready to name the women who expressed fear in an affidavit.
During the proceedings, the judge enquired if there was an FIR against the governor. To which Bose’s counsel replied, "There is no FIR against the Governor due to his constitutional position. However, an FIR has been lodged against his officer, which has been stayed by the High Court."
Meanwhile, CM's lawyers also mentioned that "MLA Sayantika Banerjee had publicly stated she did not feel safe visiting Raj Bhavan, and this was reported in the newspapers."
Follow us
