High Court Restrains Trinamool From Protesting Near BJP Leaders' Homes

The Calcutta High Court on Monday restrained the ruling Trinamool Congress's August 5 programme to gherao homes of BJP leaders in West Bengal.

Petitioner Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of opposition in West Bengal assembly, claimed that while Trinamool's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee called for the gherao from the party's July 21 rally, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee vetted the call in her speech from the same dais.

"The respondents and all concerned are restrained from any such protest or gheraoing or blocking of traffic, inconveniencing the general public on August 5," a division bench presided by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam directed.

Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool's Diamond Harbour MP, called for a gherao of houses of all BJP leaders to demand the release of funds due to West Bengal by the Centre.

The Chief Minister, however, said that the protest should be held 100 metres away from the homes of BJP leaders.

Claiming that the protest was commanded by Abhishek Banerjee and affirmed by the Chief Minister, Mr Adhikari urged that no rally should be permitted to take place.

The court directed the respondents to file affidavits in support of their contention against the PIL by Mr Adhikari within 10 days, and said that the matter will be heard again after two weeks.

The lawyer appearing for Abhishek Banerjee said that the gherao will be symbolic and would have been held 100 metres away from the homes of the BJP leaders.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)