The Calcutta High Court on Sunday ordered a status quo on the demolition of a building in South 24 Parganas’ Amtala that houses Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee’s Lok Sabha constituency office.
The order came during an urgent hearing after a writ petition was filed by Leaps & Bounds, a company in which Abhishek Banerjee’s father, Amit Banerjee, is a director. The company also operates from the same building. The TMC was added to the case as a pro forma respondent.
During the hearing, counsel representing Leaps & Bounds argued that the demolition was carried out without serving a prior notice to the company, making the action unlawful. After considering the submissions, Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury directed all parties to maintain status quo, immediately halting further demolition work until further orders.
The High Court also instructed the state government to file its response before the next hearing.
The demolition drive began on Saturday after the South 24 Parganas district administration alleged that the building had been constructed without an approved building plan and violated applicable construction norms.
Security personnel, including police and central forces, were deployed around the premises before demolition work commenced. Authorities used bulldozers to dismantle the front portion of the structure, while Fire and Emergency Services personnel remained present as a precautionary measure.
According to a senior state government official, the action was initiated after following the prescribed administrative procedures. The official maintained that the demolition was based solely on alleged violations of building regulations and was not linked to any political considerations.
With the High Court’s interim order now in place, demolition activities will remain suspended until the matter is heard again following the government’s submission.
