Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the state to get instructions on CPM’s allegations of not being allowed to put up book stalls during Durga Puja, even in front of their party offices at Bongaon and Panihati. “They want to sell books, not food items,” the single judge told the additional advocate general (AAG).The matter was listed to be released from Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya’s list on Tuesday. But considering the urgency and the additional time it would take for petitioner CPM to serve fresh notices if the matter was released and placed before a different bench, Justice Bhattacharyya took it up for hearing.Senior advocate Samim Ahmed, representing CPM, submitted that they had been putting up book stalls for 40-45 years during Durga Puja. “This year, too, representation has not been refused. We are erecting our temporary structures. But we are being restrained… . In front of our party office, we are trying to put up a stall. But today… people have made temp construction, Hindu Jagran Mancha, in front of our party office, where we wanted to put up the stall. Police did not intervene.” Replying to Justice Bhattacharyya’s query on whether police permission is needed before putting up book stalls, Ahmed replied in negative. “Every year, we put up a book stall to disseminate information, it is our fundamental duty,” he argued.In their petition, CPM had specified an incident of Oct 6 in Bongaon. Around 6.30 am, when the party had started the work on building a book stall there, people allegedly associated with Hindu Jagran Mancha, obstructed them. CPM workers were allegedly assaulted and threatened against building the book stall.The matter will be next heard on Wednesday.
