Wearing lawyer's attire, Mamata enters court in post-poll violence case
What's the story
Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appeared in the Calcutta High Court on Thursday, dressed in a black lawyer's gown. She is likely to plead in a case of post-poll violence that took place after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) lost the Assembly elections. The case was filed by Shirshanya Bandopadhyay, son of senior TMC leader and advocate Kalyan Bandopadhyay.
Political unrest
Case pertains to post-poll violence
The case pertains to alleged attacks on political workers and party offices after the TMC's defeat in the elections. The TMC has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of instigating violence across Bengal. In a post on X, the party said Banerjee's appearance shows her commitment to fighting for truth, justice, and constitutional values. "Whether confronting the injustice of SIR or standing firm against the unruly conduct of BJP, she continues to prove...there is no leader like her," it added.
Legal journey
Trained lawyer, graduated in 1982
Banerjee is a trained lawyer who graduated from Jogesh Chandra College of Law in 1982. She had started her political career with the Congress's student wing, campaigning for the Chhatra Parishad. Her first major court appearance was in 1984 when she represented Youth Congress workers arrested during protests against a school headmaster's murder in Dakshin Dinajpur.
Legal advocacy
She represented Congress workers arrested in 1993
Banerjee also represented Congress workers arrested after a protest march to Writers' Building in 1993, demanding voter photo-ID cards be made mandatory to ensure free and fair polling The protest had turned violent, killing 13 people. She approached the Chief Judicial Magistrate at Kolkata's Bankshall Court for bail for these workers. Further, she represented Haladhar Mondol's family after his death in police firing at Guptipara in 1997. Most recently, Banerjee appeared before a Supreme Court Bench to challenge the SIR.