Removal of TMC billboard: SC asks to raise contentions before HC

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the TMC to raise its contentions over the removal of the party’s signboard from its office at Camac Street in Kolkata before the High Court.

The top court asked the Calcutta High Court to expeditiously decide the petition filed by the All India Trinamool Congress, also known as the TMC, challenging the Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s removal of the billboard from the party’s office there. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana disposed of the plea filed by the TMC. At the outset, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, raised a preliminary objection to the appeal. “My learned friend should not be excited,” senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the TMC, said. The law officer took strong objection to Sibal’s submission. “You should not have used this expression… it is just for the media, just because it is a political matter…” the solicitor general said. Sibal said that the billboard was removed without any notice, and the board of Haldiram’s, functioning on the ground floor, was not touched. The CJI said the matter is still pending before the high court and remedial orders can be passed there.

“Just because the board was removed, it does not mean the matter has become infructuous… if it is found to be wrongly removed, there can be a mandatory order for restoration,” the bench said. It said that the High Court can be requested to decide expeditiously.

“In our view, the interim order dated August 28, 20206 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 the High Court. We request the High Court to determine all issues that arise for consideration expeditiously,” the top court said in the order and disposed of the plea. The controversy relates to the removal of an allegedly unauthorised billboard bearing TMC signage from the building at 9, Camac Street in south Kolkata by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), with police assistance.