At a convocation ceremony, Mamata asks ‘where is democracy?’, then makes a request to CJI Lalit
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee took a swipe at “media trial” while speaking at a convocation ceremony on Sunday, saying they are “guiding” the verdict even before it's out.
West Bengal chief minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) boss Mamata Banerjee on Sunday made a request to Chief Justice of India (CJI) UU Lalit as they both attended the convocation ceremony of the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS) in Kolkata. Referring to the current legal scenario in the country, Banerjee slammed the culture of “media trial” and said a “section of people” are seizing all the “democratic powers”.
The chief minister was the chief guest at the convocation, and during her speech, she urged the judiciary to ensure that the federal structure of India remains unchanged and intact.
“Common people are unnecessarily being harassed…Where is democracy? Please save democracy,” Banerjee urged CJI Lalit, who is the chancellor of the university.
She said if democratic powers continue to be seized by certain “section of people”, then the day is not far when a presidential form of regime will be brought in the country.
The Bengal chief minister also took a jibe at “media trial”, saying it is “guiding the verdict” even before it's out. She said that this cannot keep happening since the justice system sits at the top, and media cannot regulate it. “They (media) are accusing anybody,” Banerjee added.
The TMC supremo said that justice is always “for the people, by the people and of the people”. She also congratulated CJI Lalit, saying he has shown in “two months” what “judiciary means”.
The chief minister, however, clarified her point, saying it's not that people had lost faith in the judiciary. “But the situation nowadays is such…it has gone from bad to worse. The judiciary must listen to the cries of the people. But today, people are crying behind closed doors. That is the kind of incidents happening right now,” Banerjee added.
(With inputs from PTI)
