Calcutta high court rejects plea challenging Mamata Banerjee’s Durga puja grant

State advocate general Kishore Dutta said the decision to grant the money was taken so that the organisers could initiate a road safety campaign, and pointed out that the court cannot interfere in the executive order.

A division bench of the Calcutta high court rejected on Wednesday a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the state government’s decision to give ₹10,000 each to organisers of 28,000 community Durga pujas in West Bengal.

An artisan works on an idol of Goddess Durga ahead of Durga Puja festival. (AP Photo)

Durga Puja is scheduled to be held this year from October 16 to October 20.

State advocate general Kishore Dutta said the decision to grant the money was taken so that the organisers could initiate a road safety campaign, and pointed out that the court cannot interfere in the executive order.

“There is no question of victory or defeat. But there are a few professional litigants who want to retard Bengal. We are grateful to the court for its verdict,” remarked urban development minister Firhad Hakim.

One of the petitioners, Sourav Dutta, 49, and his counsel Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyaa, a former mayor of Kolkata, said they were planning to move the Supreme Court against the order.

“Our means are limited but at this stage we just cannot leave the fight,” said Bhattacharyaa.