Pioneer In Short
HC stays Abhishek office demolition
The Calcutta High Court on Sunday ordered status quo on the demolition of the Diamond Harbour constituency office of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee in South 24 Parganas, directing the State not to carry out any further demolition until the matter is heard again or till the end of July, whichever is earlier. Holding a special sitting, Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury passed the interim order on a petition filed by Leaps and Bounds Private Limited, which is identified by the Enforcement Directorate in a separate case as a company where Banerjee is CEO. The court said the matter would be placed before the regular bench. However, it declined to grant relief on the petitioner’s allegation that political workers and miscreants looted documents from the office while police remained passive, noting that no police complaint had been shown to have been filed.
The South 24 Parganas district administration began demolishing the five-storey building on Saturday, alleging it was constructed without an approved building plan and in violation of rules. Banerjee maintained that the building, which serves as his constituency office, was legally constructed on purchased land after obtaining all required permissions. The petitioner argued that neither the demolition order nor the complaint leading to it had been provided, while the state contended due notice had been served and no sanctioned building plan had been produced.
Kerala hospital food rule sparks
Kerala Health Minister K Muraleedharan on Sunday said political activities, including the distribution of free food under party banners, would not be permitted inside Government hospitals, drawing criticism from both the CPI(M) and the BJP. Muraleedharan said the UDF Government’s policy was to channel free meals for patients and their attendants through community kitchens to be established in Government hospitals. While political parties and organisations could distribute food outside hospital premises, the Health Department alone would regulate activities inside, he said, adding that organisations willing to help could contribute to the proposed kitchens. The scheme will be launched in Alappuzha before being expanded statewide after consultations with voluntary organisations.
The minister’s remarks sparked sharp opposition. CPI(M) leaders, including P Rajeev, P A Mohammed Riyas and A A Rahim, said preventing political organisations from distributing food was unjustified and urged the Government to hold consultations. The DYFI said it would continue its long-running ‘Hridayapoorvam’ food distribution programme until the Government ensured a reliable alternative. The BJP also criticised the move, with former state president K Surendran questioning why voluntary groups were being stopped from serving food and expressing doubts over the proposed community kitchen model. The controversy follows the minister’s announcement on Saturday of a statewide community kitchen initiative for Government hospitals.
