No Regrets on Viral Video Mocking Jagdeep Dhankhar’: TMC's Kalyan Banerjee Speaks Out

No regrets on viral video mocking Jagdeep Dhankhar": TMC's Kalyan Banerjee

‘‘No regrets on viral video mocking Jagdeep Dhankhar‘‘: TMC`s Kalyan Banerjee. In the Lok Sabha elections, Kalyan Banerjee is one of Kolkata's prominent lawyers who has assisted TMC and its supporters in numerous legal battles. It's a form of protest, recognized worldwide,

‘‘ responds the outspoken TMC MP and Serampore Lok Sabha constituency candidate, Kalyan Banerjee. Kalyan Banerjee recalls how he directly asked now-retired Justice Abhijit Ganguly in an open court, ‘‘Are you looking to join the BJP?‘‘ He also acknowledges that Justice Ganguly was chosen by the collegium, admitting that they sometimes make mistakes.

Some Verdict, Some Suspicion HT Bangla caught up with Kalyan at his Kolkata home, just a stone's throw away from Mamata Banerjee's residence, as he relaxes after a strenuous election schedule. Kalyan, one of Kolkata's leading lawyers who has assisted TMC and its supporters in numerous legal battles, is now aiding the party in navigating through various scam allegations. Kalyan fondly reminisces about his long association with Mamata Banerjee, recalling how he assisted her in filing nominations from Jadavpur in 1984, where she defeated the formidable Somnath Chatterjee, marking the beginning of her political career. In the early days, there used to be an informal legal cell operating out of Mamata Banerjee's house every Sunday, Kalyan recalled. Although the case remains unresolved to this day, it generated significant political heat at the time and was even investigated by the CBI. In the years that followed, from Singur to the Rizwanur Rehman case, Kalyan was at the forefront of issues that shook Bengal.

 Kalyan is currently representing students who lost their jobs in the case and is delighted that the Supreme Court has agreed to stay the blanket cancellation of jobs given by SSC to over 250,000 aspirants. When asked directly whether he agrees with Mamata Banerjee that some Calcutta HC judges have favored the BJP in recent judgments, Kalyan appears slightly cautious. Kalyan mentions that the case against this order has been heard and pending judgment since December 2023. Similarly, Kalyan notes that verdicts for many sensitive cases are being announced during the election period.

While there is no rule against it, according to Kalyan, it was previously a practice for judges to refrain from issuing major verdicts during the poll season. Kalyan cites an example from personal experience where former CJI Dattu followed this practice. Incidentally, during the election period, the HC in a landmark verdict excluded many communities from the OBC reservation ambit, dealing another political blow to the TMC government. Loyalty to Mamata, respect for Abhishek Kalyan scoffs at the suggestion of taking the Rajya Sabha route to Parliament, emphasizing that true political success lies in connecting with the people.