Mamata says judicial commissions are waste of money, but sets up 10

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been reported as observing that setting up commissions is a waste of public money, but her TMC government, in its first 10 months, set up 10 inquiry inquiry commissions of which only one has submitted its report.

In her speech at the 75th Anniversary celebrations of the West Bengal State Legislature, Mamata had criticised the judiciary and remarked: “There have been so many judicial commissions set up but where is the result? So much money is spent on these commissions but the only thing they do is talk to higher officials and do nothing.”

Banerjee’s remark came a day after the state Human Rights Commission rapped the government over the harassment meted out to Jadavpur University Professor Ambikesh Mahapatra and awarded compensation to the latter who was accused of circulating a cartoon defaming Mamata.

However, the state government, in less than 10 months after Mamata assumed power, set up 10 commissions of inquiry and the lone panel to complete its inquiry has run up a bill of Rs 72 lakh, only to come up with the findings identical to those of the police.

The commission headed by Justice D P Sengupta was set up to find the reason behind the death of CPM legislator Mostafa Bin Quasem who jumped from the window of third floor of MLAs’ hostel in Kolkata and died on May 29, 2011. The commission observed that the MLA had committed suicide,  a conclusion already arrived at by the police after recovering two suicide notes days after his death. 

Of the other nine commissions, five are functioning but four are yet to start because there is apparently not enough office accommodation. A commission is given six months to conclude its work, but the trend, say law department officials, is at least one extension.

CPI criticises

When the state is going through dire financial straits, according to government sources, commission bills mount to Rs 33 lakh to Rs 36 lakh every six months. Apart from that, the government has to pay the commission’s head, who is a retired judge, the difference between his last salary and current pension, including DA, HRA and Rs 40,000 as vehicle expenditure.

“We spend at least Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per month on the chairman of a commission,” a senior Home Department official said.

When asked about it, a top CPM leader sarcastically said: “The ma-mati-manush (‘mother-land-people’ - Banerjee's slogan) government has set up 10 commissions in its first 10 months in office. This is a record. No other chief minister of this state and probably of any other state has shown such ability. It is a luxury to have so many of them together when the state is in a financial crisis. It is a waste of public money.”