HC fines Bengal BJP Rs 10 lakh for misleading court

The Calcutta High Court today imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on the state unit of BJP for misleading the court in connection with a general diary it filed in a city police station against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek.
Justice Dipankar Dutta imposed the cost on the party and directed it to pay Rs 5 lakh to the High Court Legal Aid and the rest to West Bengal Legal Aid Services.
The West Bengal unit of BJP had moved a petition before the high court, alleging police inaction in connection with a case it filed against Abhishek Banerjee.

In the petition, BJP claimed that the Jorashanko police station in Kolkata had not provided it with the general diary number after it had filed the case before it.
It had alleged in the case filed on June 23 that Abhishek had in a public meeting at Basirhat in North 24 Parganas district used "threatening and distasteful" language against those who opposed Mamata Banerjee's rule and Trinamool Congress.
The public meeting took place on June 21.

The state BJP alleged that the police station authorities had only put a stamp on the complaint which said "received - contents not verified".

Justice Dutta had then called for the records from the police station, wherein it was found that the general diary number had been provided.
A displeased Justice Dutta today imposed the cost on state BJP for misleading the court.
BJP state president Rahul Sinha said that the party would challenge the order before a division bench on the amount of penalty after consulting senior lawyers.
"I am happy that the law has taken the right course," he said.
"It was, however, a technical and minor mistake. We will move a higher bench challenging the amount imposed on us," Sinha said.