New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Calcutta High Court to expeditiously decide the Trinamool Congress’ plea challenging the removal of a signboard carrying the party’s name and logo from the roof of the office of its General Secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee on Camac Street in Kolkata.
A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana was hearing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool faction against the Calcutta High Court’s refusal to grant interim relief in the matter.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Trinamool, submitted that the signboard was removed without issuing any notice to the party and contended that the High Court had erred in observing that no cause of action survived after the board had already been removed.
“The High Court says that no cause of action survives because the signboard has already been removed,” he submitted.
However, the CJI-led Bench remarked that merely because the signboard had been removed did not mean that the grievance of the party had been satisfied.
“Merely because it has been removed does not mean that your grievance has been satisfied. If your claim is accepted, the High Court will have to grant you liberty to raise the issue,” the apex court observed.
Sibal submitted that the party was seeking restoration of the signboard and reiterated that no notice had been issued before the removal.
“I am entitled to notice before such action is taken. No notice was issued,” he said.
The senior counsel further submitted that information had been given to the Kolkata Police on August 26 that security was required for removing the signboard, but no notice had been served on the party.
“I approached the High Court saying that no notice had been issued to me. The High Court did not examine whether notice had been issued. It merely held that since the board had already been removed, no cause of action survived,” he submitted.
He further argued that the Trinamool was a registered political party and that its name had been displayed on the building pursuant to a registered lease.
“This is a registered political party. Its name was displayed on the building and was removed without notice. A commercial establishment’s name would not be removed in this manner,” Sibal said.
He urged the apex court to send the matter back to the Calcutta High Court and permit the party to raise all its contentions, without the observations contained in the interim order coming in its way.
After hearing the submissions, the CJI-headed Bench ordered: “In our view, the interim order dated August 28, 2026 has not decided pending issues on merits. Since the High Court is seized of the matter, and there are tentative observations made in the order, the parties are granted liberty to raise their respective contentions before HC. We request the High Court to determine all issues that arise for consideration expeditiously.”
The Supreme Court also clarified that the observations made in the impugned order would not come in the way of the parties raising their respective contentions before the High Court.
The dispute relates to the removal of a giant billboard carrying the name “All India Trinamool Congress” and the party’s logo from the roof of Abhishek Banerjee’s office on Camac Street on August 27.
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), accompanied by police personnel, had reached the premises to remove the billboard, which the civic authorities claimed was installed without the mandatory permission and payment of applicable taxes.
The action led to tension at the spot, with Trinamool leaders and activists, including Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien, opposing the removal. Scuffles broke out between the police personnel and party activists before the billboard was finally removed.
Following the incident, the Kolkata Police registered three FIRs and arrested several Trinamool activists. Abhishek Banerjee, O’Brien and other party leaders were named in two of the FIRs.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction subsequently approached the Calcutta High Court, seeking restoration of the removed billboard and also raising questions over the action taken by the KMC and police.
On August 28, a special single-judge Bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury declined to grant interim relief, observing that the matter was at a premature stage and that affidavits from all concerned parties were required before any interim direction could be considered.
The High Court had also rejected the plea seeking details of the KMC staff and Kolkata Police personnel who had gone to the Camac Street office to remove the billboard.
The Camac Street office subsequently came under scrutiny from the West Bengal Fire Services Department as well. Last week, the department issued a notice alleging several irregularities in the fire safety arrangements at the seventh and eighth floors of the building, where Abhishek Banerjee’s office is located.
The department said the fire safety certificate had expired on August 10 and sought an explanation within 48 hours as to why the premises should not be sealed.
On September 4, after the response deadline expired, the Fire Services Department directed the occupants to vacate the seventh and eighth floors, citing inadequate fire-fighting measures and non-compliance with fire safety regulations.
–IANS
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