Calcutta High Court, Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam, PILs 2021 onwards, public interest litigations, Justice Soumen Sen, Justice Smita Das De, case allocation, legal news, court directive, bench reassignment
Kolkata: On May 1, The Calcutta High Court, it has been announced that Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed from the year 2021 onwards will not be heard by the division bench led by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam. This update came through an official notification released on May 1, based on an administrative order issued by the Chief Justice himself.
According to the notification,
all PILs that have been registered since 2021 will now be heard by a different division bench consisting of Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das De.
This marks a significant shift in the traditional practice, where such PIL matters were usually heard by the bench led by the Chief Justice.
The notification clearly stated,
“PIL matters filed 2021 onwards will be heard by a division bench comprising justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De.”
As a result of this directive, the Chief Justice’s bench will also stop hearing any newly filed PILs from now onwards.
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The notification confirmed this decision, stating,
“In view of the directive, the Chief Justice’s court will not hear any newly filed PIL also.”
This move is being seen as a change in the usual system of handling PILs in the Calcutta High Court. Generally, it is the Chief Justice’s bench that handles matters related to public interest due to their importance and wide-reaching impact on society.
However, this update shows a change in that pattern, with the responsibility now being transferred to another bench within the same court.
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Apart from this change regarding PILs, the Chief Justice has also made another important decision about appeal cases related to police actions.
From now onwards, all appeals involving issues of police inaction or overaction will be heard by a different division bench, which includes Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobroto Kumar Mitra.
The official notification in this regard clearly mentioned,
“The Chief Justice also directed that appeals relating to police inaction and overaction will from now on be heard by a division bench comprising justices Tapabrata Chakraborty and Reetobroto Kumar Mitra.”
This development is expected to have an effect on the way public interest and police-related matters are handled in the Calcutta High Court.
Legal experts believe that the reassignment of these important matters to different benches may help in reducing workload on the Chief Justice’s bench and can also ensure faster disposal of such cases by redistributing responsibilities among other experienced judges of the court.
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This decision is part of the internal administrative functioning of the High Court and reflects how matters can be shifted within the judicial system based on the needs and instructions from the Chief Justice.
The reasons behind the transfer of PIL cases and police appeal matters have not been officially explained, but such decisions are generally taken to maintain the efficiency and proper functioning of the court system.
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