KOLKATA — Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee arrived unexpectedly at the Calcutta High Court shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday wearing the black robes of a lawyer to argue a case before Chief Justice Sujay Paul, Indian newspaper Anandabazar reported.
The Trinamool Congress leader had gone to the Supreme Court before the West Bengal election. This time, after the vote, she appeared at the High Court — and in a lawyer’s attire. An eager crowd of supporters gathered around her as she reached the court premises.
The Trinamool Congress posted a video of Banerjee outside the High Court on social media. “Once again, she has shown why she is different from the rest,” the party wrote. “When the moment demands, she never leaves the people of West Bengal alone. She does not stop fighting for truth, justice and constitutional values. With unmatched courage and resolve, she has stood up again and again against the politics of hate.”
In the chief justice’s courtroom, Banerjee said: “This is the first time I am arguing in the Calcutta High Court. My name was registered with the Bar Council in 1985. I have renewed my membership since then. After the election, no one — children, women, Muslims — is being spared. Married women are being threatened with rape. These complaints come in every day. Homes are being looted and set on fire. Police are taking no action. With the court’s permission, I will include these allegations in an additional affidavit. Save the people of the state. This is not a bulldozer state. This is West Bengal. Please save the people.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report