The Bengal government on Monday moved a petition before Calcutta High Court seeking reconsideration of its formation of a committee with Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari as a member to monitor this year’s Gangasagar Mela in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The court had allowed the state to hold this year’s Mela. Individuals Kabirul Islam, Ajoy Kumar De, Pramode Verma and the West Bengal Doctors’ Forum moved separate petitions before the division bench headed by Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava of Calcutta, which heard the cases together at 2pm on Monday.

Though the court completed hearing in the case on Monday, it withheld its verdict.

During hearing of the case and while seeking reconsideration of the January 7 order, the state government contended that to control and supervise the mela a committee was already in place since in 2001.

Arguing on behalf of the government, advocate-general S.N. Mukherjee: “The said committee is still there, then what was the necessity to constitute another committee? Moreover, Opposition party leader is a political person. Why has a political person been appointed as a committee member?”

Mukherjee said eminent personalities like physicians and social activists should be appointed members of the committee.

Appearing for the doctors’ forum, advocate Anindya Mitra sought an order to stop the fair and argued for the inclusion of eminent physicians in the committee.

Senior counsel Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharyya said apart from Dr Abhijit Chowdhury, Dr Manas Gumta and Dr Subarna Goswami could also be included in the committee.

The state government then informed the court that the post of chairman of state Human Right Commission, who has been made a member of the panel, was vacant.

Appearing for one of the petitioners, advocate Srijib Chakraborty claimed considering all the aspects the court should suspend the Mela.

“If the Mela is held then the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission can be appointed as a member of the committee,” Chakraborty said.

Petitioner Pramode Verma’s advocate Ritzu Ghoshal also opined for the inclusion of physicians in the committee.

Appearing for Opposition party leader Suvendu Adhikari, a lawyer tried to say that Covid rule was not being maintained on the Mela ground.

At this the Chief Justice stopped him and said: “Then why is your client not moving a contempt of court case?" The hearing ended and the bench adjourned its verdict.

Suvendu’s plea

Moving a petition before Justice Rajasekhar Mantha, a lawyer appearing for Opposition party leader Suvendu Adhikari alleged that even though his client enjoyed Z-category security, the state government was not allowing him to visit places of Bengal.

The advocate mentioned that recently his client had been prevented from entering Netai to pay tributes at the martyrs’ column there.

Justice Mantha fixed January 19 for next hearing of the case and asked the state government to file an affidavit by January 18.