The Bar Association of Calcutta High Court has written to the Chief Justice stating that it will not attend the bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay from Tuesday, alleging that a lawyer was mistreated and sent to civil custody for contempt of court by the judge during hearing of a matter.
A division bench granted an interim stay on operation of the order of Justice Gangopadhyay allowing a letter by the lawyer to be treated as an appeal, while noting that a copy of the single judge's order was not yet uploaded in the official server.
The bench of Justice Gangopadhyay did not sit on Tuesday, as per listing of matters on the high court website.
Lawyer Prosenjit Mukherjee stated before the division bench presided by Justice Harish Tandon on Monday evening that he was later released from the custody taken by the Sheriff but apprehended that the order of three-day civil imprisonment may, if implemented, put him again in custody.
Mukherjee claimed before the division bench that he was taken in custody despite repeated unconditional apology tendered by him before the single judge.
In the letter to Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam, Bar Association secretary Biswabrata Basu Mallick said that a resolution to not attend the court of Justice Gangopadhyay has been taken by the majority of its members in view of the "extreme insult" meted out to Mukherjee.
It said that lawyers will not go to the court of Justice Gangopadhyay from Tuesday till the Judge "apologises" to Mukherjee and to the Bar.
Mukherjee stated in his appeal that he was appearing for the West Bengal Madrasah Service Commission in a matter before the court of Justice Gangopadhyay when the incident happened.
