The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday declined to grant an urgent hearing to journalists of Ananda Bazar Patrika facing FIRs over the newspaper’s use of the phrase “Gerua Gundagiri” (saffron hooliganism) in its report on violence at Jadavpur University allegedly involving ABVP and FETSU students.
Senior Advocate S.N. Mookherjee appeared before Justice Saugata Bhattacharya seeking urgent intervention, submitting that the journalists were facing multiple criminal cases following publication of the expression.
Submitting that three separate incidents had led to accusations of inciting communal feelings against the journalists, Senior Advocate Mookherjee pressed the Court for immediate judicial intervention.
The FIRs were registered after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari objected to the use of the phrase in the newspaper’s coverage of the Jadavpur University violence.
Mookherjee indicated that the journalists were seeking quashing of the FIRs. The Court, however, said the appropriate course was to file a petition for quashing in the regular manner and that the matter would be taken up according to the applicable procedure.
When Mookherjee pressed for an urgent listing, Justice Bhattacharya said the Bench was already dealing with several petitions seeking quashing of FIRs and was not inclined to specially fix another matter at this stage.
Mookherjee clarified that the matter was “not political at all” and stressed the urgency, particularly in view of the criminal cases against the journalists.
The Court reiterated that it could not make an exception for specially fixing the matter and said the petition would come up in its ordinary course. It, however, indicated that after filing, an attempt could be made to have the matter taken up.
Highlighting that two senior female journalists were facing proceedings, Senior Advocate Mookherjee sought liberty to mention the case again should circumstances alter.
The Bench declined special listing at that stage, directing counsel to file the quashing petition through standard procedure so the Court could attempt to reach it in due course.
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