TMC MLA & West Bengal Bar Council Chairman, Ashok Kumar Deb Writes To CJI NV Ramana Seeking Immediate Removal Of Calcutta High Court Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal
Under "urgent" and "dire" circumstances, the Bar Council of West Bengal has written a letter to the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana seeking immediate removal of Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Rajesh Bindal.
In its 6 page letter, the Bar Council has said that Hon’ble Justice Bindal has had a chequered past while he was appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of Jammu and Kashmir High Court and Union Territory of Ladakh.
“Disgruntled by Hon’ble Justice Bindal’s attitude/ behaviour, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court Bar Association had resolved to boycott the Court of Hon’ble Justice Bindal on or around September 16, 2019.”, the letter states.
It is not surprising that Hon’ble Justice Bindal was appointed as the Judge of High Court of Jammu and Kashmir only on November 19, 2018 and within a year lawyers at Jammu and Kashmir were fed up with his Lordship’s antics”, the letter addressed to CJI further states.
The Council in its letter have also cited numerous instances on and from his date of appointment which has given rise to a perception that Justice Bindal is unfair, partial and biased judge and whose continuance at the Hon’ble High Court interferes with the fair and impartial dispensation of Justice.
One of the instances that has been cited is of Justice Bindal staying the order of CBI special court which granted bail to the TMC leaders in the Narada Scam.
“The way Hon’ble Justice Bindal has dealt with the Narada Bail Matter sets serious doubts over the conduct and character of Hon’ble Justice Bindal. Hon’ble Justice Bindal by an order dated May 17, 2021 stayed an interim order of bail passed by the Special CBI Court in favour of members of a certain political dispensation without giving the aggrieved parties an opportunity of being heard”
Justice Bindal was transferred to Calcutta High Court vide notification dated December 31, 2020 from the Common High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Lakshadweep and was sworn in as a judge at the Calcutta High Court on January 5, 2021.
He was appointed as the Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court on and from April 29, 2021.
Recently, the Calcutta High Court bench of Justice Chanda Kaushik has reserved judgement in a plea filed by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee seeking recusal of Justice Kaushik in her petition challenging the election of BJP's Suvendhu Adhikari from Nandigram in the assembly election.