New Delhi:
In a recent appearance on local television, a retired judge in Kolkata was critical of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Since then, he has received a series of threatening phone calls, and has filed a police case.
Samaresh Banerjea, a retired judge of the Calcutta High Court, participated in a TV discussion of Ms Banerjee's remarks this week about the judiciary - she said that verdicts can be bought. A case of contempt of court was filed against her in the High Court on Thursday.
On Wednesday night, Justice Banerjea received a phone call. The caller claimed he was a journalist with an English daily and harangued the judge about his critique of Ms Banerjee. He also said that the legal cell of the chief minister's party, the ruling Trinamool Congress, had held a press conference where it announced it was compiling a list of corrupt judges and Mr Banerjea's name was on that list because of his connections with the CPM.
The judge contacted the newspaper the journalist claimed he belonged to. The newspaper denied any of its reporters had called him. It also denied the Trinamool had held the press conference the so-called journalist had mentioned.
On Thursday, he was on TV for another panel discussion about the chief minister when his wife received a call at home from a mobile number. Justice Banerjea's landline has caller ID.
The caller was a woman. "She said (to my wife) tell Samaresh he is going too far. He must control himself. If he does not, we are going to file a false criminal case against him alleging that he has raped one of our housemaids," said Mr Banerjea.
The judge then filed a police complaint. He also gave the number of the second caller, recorded on his phone, to the police. The police have tracked down the number but are yet to make an arrest.
"After this incident, I am convinced that this is done in a planned manner methodically by some hooligans of obviously the Trinamool Congress party and I think guided by someone higher up. And the whole purpose is to come me down for criticising the disparaging remark of the chief minister in exercise of my fundamental right to free speech," said Mr Banerjea.
A police jeep is now posted outside Mr Banerjea's house, but the harassment may not have ended. In the last 24 hours, his nameplate has been vandalised - the word 'Justice' scratched out. This has really worried and upset his wife because she says now it is clear that those who are harassing them not only know Justice Banerjee's home number but also where he lives.
The last few weeks have seen wide criticism of Ms Banerjee and her administration for being intolerant of any dissent. Earlier this month, a farmer who questioned her at a rally was arrested. The state's human rights commission has just fined her government a lakh for arresting a professor and his associate in April for emailing a cartoon that featured the chief minister. After that verdict, Ms Banerjee did not name the head of the commission, a retired Supreme Court judge, but suggested that he was exceeding his brief.