Supreme Court Warns Against Politicisation in Contempt Plea Against Mamata Banerjee

The Supreme Court warned against politicising judicial proceedings during a criminal contempt plea against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. A bench led by Chief Justice B R Gavai urged political battles to remain outside the court, amid allegations Banerjee undermined judiciary authority in the teacher recruitment scam case.

The Supreme Court on Monday issued a caution against the politicisation of judicial proceedings while hearing a plea for criminal contempt against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The bench, including Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran, urged that political battles be fought outside the courtroom.

The petition, filed by the public charitable trust Aatmdeep, accuses Banerjee of undermining the judiciary's authority with her comments following the Supreme Court's ruling in the teachers' recruitment scam case. Senior advocate Maninder Singh, representing the petitioner, requested a deferred hearing while awaiting the Attorney General's consent for contempt proceedings.

In April, the Supreme Court upheld a Calcutta High Court ruling nullifying nearly 25,000 teacher appointments by the West Bengal School Service Commission due to fraudulent practices. The current plea arises from Banerjee's alleged criticism of this verdict. The bench has scheduled the next hearing for four weeks later.

(With inputs from agencies.)