'As if it's Jantar Mantar': Supreme Court on crowd in Calcutta HC during hearing of ED petitions

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday slammed enormous disturbance and commotion, caused in the Calcutta High Court on January 9, forcing it to adjourn hearing on the ED's plea against interference into its probe in a money laundering case in Kolkata, after being told that messages were spread on WhatsApp and vehicles were arranged to bring the people to the courtroom.

“We are disturbed by the manner in which the hearing in the High Court was last week adjourned due to commotion,” a bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul M Pancholi said.

Taking up the ED's writ petition for CBI probe into the acts of West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee during its search operations in I-PAC, the firm hired by the ruling TMC, the bench expressed surprise as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said it was not spontaneous as the legal wing of TMC circulated WhatsApp messages asking people to gather in the courtroom.

"Come, everyone? As if it’s Jantar Mantar.” the bench said, asking the High Court was converted into Jantar Mantar.

Mehta pointed out, on account of an unmanageable crowd, the HC was forced to adjourn the scheduled hearing of cases related to the ED’s search and seizure operations at political consultancy firm I-PAC’s office.

"We approached the High Court. This is what happens when mobocracy replaces democracy. This is what the high court records,” Mehta said.

He contended the proceeding was live-streamed and the hearing was less than satisfactory. ED faced many difficulties and the microphone was constantly muted.

Assuring that this would not be repeated, senior advocate Kapil Sibal said, hearing took place on January 14, without any ruckus but the ED sought adjournment.

The court issued notice to the WB CM and DGP Rajeev Kumar and others on the ED's plea for CBI probe into the episode alleging Banerjee took away digital devices and files during the search operations in connection with the money laundering case connected to coal pilferage scam. It also stayed the FIR lodged by the police against the ED sleuths.