Does a plea to de-seal the TMC Camac Street office need a hearing during the vacation? The Calcutta High Court has said it does not, finding no urgency and listing the Trinamool Congress petition before the regular bench on November 23.
Kolkata: The All India Trinamool Congress will have to wait until November 23 for a hearing on its Camac Street party office, which police sealed after it was vandalised on September 3. The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday refused to pass urgent orders on the party’s writ petition seeking directions to the West Bengal Police to de-seal and restore access to the office [All India Trinamool Congress v. State of West Bengal & Ors.].
Vacation judge Justice Rishad Medora held that no urgency was made out for the vacation bench and directed that the matter be placed before the regular bench on November 23, 2026. Advocate General Surojit Nath Mitra appeared for the State.
What the petition says
The petition describes about fifteen masked individuals entering the Camac Street office on September 3. It says they damaged office infrastructure and took valuables, threatened and restrained staff, locked some of them in a toilet and threatened them with iron rods and bamboo sticks. The CCTV and surveillance system was damaged, it says, and police reached only after the intruders had left.
It further alleges that the vandalism was backed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after its win in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. These are allegations made in the petition; they have not been tested in court, and the BJP’s response is not on record in these proceedings.
Counsel for the party submitted that an FIR was lodged after the incident and police sealed the office at the same time. Two representations seeking de-sealing went unanswered, he said, adding that fans, lights and electronic appliances inside remain switched on, causing financial strain and a fire hazard.
The order
After hearing the senior advocate for the party and the Advocate General, the judge recorded:
“There does not appear to be any urgency in this matter for it to be considered by the vacation bench. In view of the foregoing let this matter be placed before the regular bench on November 23, 2026, subject to the convenience of the Court. In the meanwhile, the Learned Advocate General is requested to obtained necessary instruction in respect of the subject matter of the writ petition.”
The Court has not ruled on the merits of the petition.
The State, through the Advocate General, was heard on the question of urgency. With the Court asking him to obtain instructions on the subject matter of the petition before the next date, the State’s stand on the sealing and the party’s request will be placed on record then.
Why the order matters
Vacation benches hear only matters that cannot wait for the regular court. By finding no urgency, the Court left the question of whether police can keep a political party’s office sealed after a reported attack to be decided on the State’s instructions and a full hearing.
The case will test how long premises can stay sealed during an investigation and whether the owner’s representations must be answered in the meantime, issues that apply to any occupier, not only a political party.
Case Title: All India Trinamool Congress v. State of West Bengal & Ors.
Bench: Justice Rishad Medora (Vacation Bench), Calcutta High Court
Date of Hearing: November 10, 2026
Next Date: November 23, 2026
For the State: Advocate General Surojit Nath Mitra