NEW DELHI: The Bar Council of India (BCI) has demanded details on Mamata’s status as a lawyer from the West Bengal Bar Council after the former chief minister appeared at Calcutta high court in lawyer robes on Thursday.“Ms. Mamata Banerjee served as Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2011 to 2026. Having regard to the constitutional public office held by her during the said period, and without expressing any opinion at this stage on the permissibility or otherwise of such appearance, the Bar Council of India requires the factual status of her enrolment, practice, suspension, if any, and resumption, if any, to be verified from your records,” said the BCI in a statement.It further listed out 9 pointers for the state bar council to furnish by May 16, 2016. The details asked werei. Her enrolment number, if enrolled with the State Bar Council of West Bengal.ii. The date of her enrolment with the State Bar Council of West Bengal.iii. Whether her name presently continues on the State Roll of Advocates maintained by the State Bar Council of West Bengal.iv. Whether she had, at any point during her tenure as Chief Minister of West Bengal, given any intimation of voluntary suspension / suspension of practice / cessation from practice.v. If any such intimation was given, the date on which it was received by the State Bar Council, along with a copy of the relevant application / intimation and order / noting, if any.vi. Whether any application / intimation for resumption of practice was submitted by her thereafter.vii. If so, the date of such application / intimation for resumption of practice, and whether the same was accepted / taken on record by the State Bar Council.viii. Whether any Certificate of Practice / relevant practice-status record in her favour is available with the State Bar Council, and whether the same is presently valid, active, suspended, or otherwise.ix. Whether any other record, intimation, communication, order, or entry exists in relation to her entitlement to practise during or after her tenure as Chief Minister.The Bar Council of India further directed that the information furnished must be based strictly on “contemporaneous official records” maintained by the West Bengal State Bar Council, including enrolment registers, State Roll records, Certificate of Practice documents, inward registers, records relating to suspension or cessation of practice, resumption records and relevant file notings or orders.It also sought certified copies of all relevant documents, duly authenticated by the Secretary of the State Bar Council, along with page references, entry dates, inward diary numbers and details regarding custody of the original records.The BCI asked the State Bar Council to provide certified copies of all supporting documents linked to enrolment, suspension, cessation or resumption of practice, correspondence files, inward registers and any other relevant records available with it.Further, the Secretary has been directed to certify that the copies submitted are “true copies of the original records maintained in the ordinary course of official business” and that the original documents have been preserved for inspection, if required.Pending submission of the reply, the BCI also ordered that all original records related to the matter be preserved “in their present form” and that no “alteration, correction, overwriting, interpolation or reconstruction” be carried out except in accordance with law and after informing the Bar Council of India.The State Bar Council has been asked to submit its response within two days of receiving the letter.
Mamata in lawyer’s robes
Mamata Banerjee on Thursday appeared before the Calcutta High Court dressed in full advocate’s attire, wearing a black lawyer’s coat and white bands over her trademark white saree with blue borders, to argue a public interest litigation related to alleged post-poll violence in the state after the recently concluded Assembly elections.She appeared before the division bench of Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen and reportedly presented photographs and a list of people allegedly killed in the violence. During the hearing, she urged the court to “protect the people of Bengal” and accused authorities of failing to act against attacks, looting and alleged intimidation taking place in different parts of the state.Her appearance at the high court triggered heavy sloganeering inside the court premises amid heightened political tensions following the Trinamool Congress’s defeat to the BJP in the Assembly elections. The PIL had been filed by advocate Sirsanya Banerjee, son of senior Trinamool Congress leader and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee.
