Gorkha outfit moves SC against ban on its shutdown

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) has moved the Supreme Court challenging a Calcutta High Court order declaring as illegal and unconstitutional its ongoing shutdown in West Bengal's Darjeeling hills, a lawyer said here Monday.

Counsel for the Gorkha outfit Abhijit Bose told a high court division bench of Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalya Bagchi that the GJM's special leave petition (SLP) was likely to come up before the Supreme Court Sep 16.

The high court, while hearing a public interest litigation, earlier declared as illegal the GJM sponsored shutdown in the Darjeeling hills to press for a separate state of Gorkhaland.

It also issued a show cause notice to the Gorkha outfit asking why it should not be made to pay compensation for the economic loss incurred due to the shutdown.

The court asked the state government to estimate the economic loss and damage to public property caused by the agitation.

State government counsel Ashok Banerjee told the court that an economic loss of Rs.69 crore was caused due to the shutdown in August.

Claiming that the "bandh" (shutdown) was still continuing in the hills under different names, the government lawyer accused the GJM of going against the court's order.

The high court would next hear the case Sep 26.