HC extends halt on demolition of Abhishek Banerjee's Amtala office till Aug 6

The Calcutta High Court ordered a status quo on the demolition of MP Abhishek Banerjee's five-story Amtala office until August 6. During the hearing, Advocate General Surajit Mitra, representing the West Bengal government, argued that the demolished section was built on plot number 507, which does not belong to the petitioner. The AG stated that plots 509 and 512, owned by Leaps and Bounds, remained untouched, and requested the court to vacate the stay order.

Representing Abhishek Banerjee, senior advocate Kishore Dutta argued that the administration violated panchayat regulations and failed to provide prior notice to Leaps and Bounds before initiating demolition. Justice Subhra Ghosh listened to arguments from both sides before issuing an interim order to maintain status quo until August 6. The court scheduled the next hearing for August 6 at 2:00 PM.

The controversy originates from a complaint filed by a local resident, Sushant Mondal, alleging that the five-story structure was built without an approved plan on occupied land. Following an inquiry by the South 24 Parganas district council, a notice was issued to Amit Banerjee, director of Leaps and Bounds, directing relevant parties to appear on July 15. After the company failed to appear, authorities initiated demolition work on July 18, prompting the legal challenge.