Calcutta High Court halts demolition of Abhishek Banerjee's diamond harbour office till July-end

The Calcutta High Court on Sunday ordered a status quo on the demolition of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee's constituency office in Amtala, South 24 Parganas district, staying further demolition work until the end of July.

Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury, during a special Sunday sitting, directed the West Bengal government to submit all documents related to the building owned by 'Leaps and Bounds' Company, which reportedly owns the property.

According to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Abhishek Banerjee is the CEO of 'Leaps and Bounds' in connection with a separate case.

The court directed that the status quo be maintained on the demolition of the building located on Diamond Harbour Road until the matter is heard by a regular bench later this month.

The petition challenging the demolition was filed by 'Leaps and Bounds', which sought judicial intervention against the action initiated by the district administration.

The South 24 Parganas district administration had begun demolishing the building on Saturday, alleging that it was constructed without an approved building plan and in violation of applicable construction rules.

Abhishek Banerjee, the Diamond Harbour MP, has maintained that the structure serves as his constituency office and was built legally on purchased land after obtaining all necessary permissions.

The matter is now scheduled to come up before a regular bench of the Calcutta High Court for further hearing.