HC Bar divided over Netai case

On Friday,advocate Arunav Ghosh,counsel of the bar association,moved a petition before the Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Jaynarayan Patel for recalling of the order of August 5.

Ghosh said that Advocate Sukhendu Sekhar Roy,the former vice-president of the bar association,had withdrawn the petition filed on the Netai carnage on August 5 without the sanction of the new committee of the association which was formed on July 29.

Advocate Roy had withdrawn the petition on the killing after the newly formed state government apprised the court about the compensation paid and the court passed an order based on the government submission.

According to Ghosh,the court directed for CBI investigation and the previous order would become infructuous if the original petition was withdrawn.

“In the petition,Roy stated the new government was functioning under financial problem and the Bar Association has accepted the compensation paid to the victim families,” said Ghosh. He claimed Roy cannot withdraw petition on his own.

Following such submission,the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Jaynarayan Patel and Justice Ashim Kumar Roy directed to serve notice to Roy to appear in the court and the case will come up for hearing after Puja vacation.

Earlier,hearing the case,the Calcutta High Court ruled for CBI investigation in February. Passing an interim order on January 14,the High Court had directed the government to pay Rs 2 lakh each to the kin of the victims who died,Rs 1 lakh to those who suffered serious injuries,and Rs 50,000 to persons with minor injuries. But the Bar Association pleaded for Rs 25 lakh to be paid in the case of death in the Netai carnage.

After the new government came to power,Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced in the last week of July to pay Rs 5 lakh to the families of the deceased persons. Appearing in the court,advocate Roy had accepted the state government’s plea.