Bar Council of India has sought information from West Bengal Bar Council about the practice status of the former CM.
“MS. Mamata Banerjee Served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2011 to 2026. “Having regard to the constitutional public office held by him during the said period, and without expressing any opinion on the permissibility or otherwise of such presence at this stage, the Bar Council of India requires the factual position of his enrolment, practice, suspension, if any, and resumption, to be verified from your records,” the BCI said in a statement.It listed 9 indicators to be submitted to the State Bar Council by May 16, 2016. The details sought were I. If he is enrolled with the West Bengal State Bar Council, his enrollment number. II. The date of his enrollment in the State Bar Council of West Bengal. iii. Whether his name currently continues in the State List of Advocates maintained by the West Bengal State Bar Council. iv. Whether he had given any notice of voluntary suspension/suspension of practice/ceasing of practice at any time during his tenure as Chief Minister of West Bengal. If any such notice was given, the date when it was received by the State Bar Council, along with a copy of the relevant application/notice and order/noting, if any. vi. Whether any application/information was subsequently submitted by him for resumption of practice. Seventh. If so, the date of such application/information for resumption of practice, and whether it was accepted/taken on record by the State Bar Council. viii. Whether any certificate of practice/relevant practice-status record in his/her favor is available with the State Bar Council, and whether he/she is presently valid, active, suspended or otherwise. nine. Whether any other record, information, communication, order or entry exists regarding his authority to practice during or after his tenure as Chief Minister.The Bar Council of India further directed that the information given should be based on “contemporaneous official records” maintained by the West Bengal State Bar Council, including enrollment registers, state roll records, practice certificate documents, inward registers, records relating to suspension or cessation of practice, resumption records and relevant file notings or orders. It also sought certified copies of all relevant documents duly certified by the Secretary of the State Bar Council as well as details regarding page references, entry dates, internal diary numbers and custody of original records. The BCI asked the State Bar Council to provide certified copies of all supporting documents, correspondence files, inward registers and any other relevant records available with it relating to enrollment, suspension, discontinuance or resumption of practice. Furthermore, the Secretary is directed to certify that the copies furnished are “true copies of the original records made in the ordinary course of official business” and that the original documents have been preserved for inspection, if necessary. Pending the filing of the reply, the BCI also ordered that all original records relating to the case be preserved “in their present form” and no “alteration, correction, overwriting, interpolation or reconstruction” shall be made except in accordance with law and under intimation to the Bar Council of India. The State Bar Council has been asked to give its reply within two days of receiving the letter.
Mamta in lawyer’s garb
Mamata Banerjee on Thursday appeared in the Calcutta High Court in full lawyer attire, wearing a black lawyer’s coat and a white band over her trademark white saree with a blue border, to argue a PIL related to alleged post-poll violence in the state following the recently concluded assembly elections.She appeared before a division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen and presented photographs and a list of those allegedly killed in the violence. During the hearing, he urged the court to “protect the people of Bengal” and accused the authorities of failing to act against the attacks, looting and alleged intimidation taking place in various parts of the state.Heavy sloganeering broke out inside the court premises amid heightened political tension following his appearance in the High Court. Trinamool CongressBJP got defeated in the assembly elections. This PIL was filed by lawyer Sirsanya Banerjee, son of senior Trinamool Congress leader and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee.