Calcutta High Court Rules on Mamata Banerjee's Statements Regarding Governor
On July 26, the Calcutta High Court ruled that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee can make statements regarding Governor CV Ananda Bose as long as they "conform to the laws."
The court clarified that Banerjee has the "full right" to say what she wants, as long as her remarks are not defamatory. This decision came after the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) challenged a July 15 single bench order that placed an interim injunction on the CM.
The West Bengal CM and Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh had appealed to a division bench, challenging the single bench's interim order. This order had directed the CM and three others not to make any defamatory or incorrect statements against the Governor through publications or social media platforms until August 14.
This legal battle stemmed from a defamation lawsuit filed by the Governor against the CM over remarks made in connection with the impasse between the Raj Bhavan and the Assembly. The dispute arose from the refusal of two TMC MLAs, Sayantika Banerjee and Reyat Hossain Sarkar, to take oath before the Governor at his office.
The division bench noted that the single bench's judgment did not explicitly declare the statements in question as defamatory or incorrect. It also observed that the interim order was unclear about which specific statements were deemed defamatory and what content was restrained from being published. The court clarified that the order applied only to future statements and did not retroactively affect past communications.
The bench acknowledged the importance of protecting one's reputation and the right to freedom of speech and expression. However, it emphasized that this freedom is subject to reasonable restrictions.