Kolkata, Sep 10 (IANS) The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday dismissed a defamation suit filed against Padma Shree awardee monk Kartik Maharaj, attached to the Murshidabad unit of Bharat Sevashram Sangha, for his comments about the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee concerned the recently inaugurated Lord Jagannath Temple at Digha in East Midnapore district of the state.
The division bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha and Justice Ajay Kumar Gupta not only dismissed the defamation suit but also imposed a penalty of Rs 11,000 on Sabyasachi Dutta, a senior Trinamool Congress leader and the chairman of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation.
Kartik Maharaj had launched an attack on the Chief Minister over Jagannath temple in Digha. Dutta alleged that defamatory remarks were made against the Chief Minister and filed a defamation case against Kartik Maharaj at the Calcutta High Court.
The final hearing in the matter was completed on Wednesday, following which the division bench observed that the defamation suit filed by Dutta had no merit. The division bench also observed that filing the petition was a waste of the court’s time. After that, the bench ordered the plaintiff to pay a fine of Rs 11,000 for wasting the court’s time.
Welcoming the Calcutta High Court’s verdict, BJP’s state general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay said the order proves that truth prevailed and hence attempts to tarnish the image of a respected monk of Bharat Sevashram Sangha was demolished in such a manner.
Since the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the ruling Trinamool Congress and even the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been constantly accusing Kartik Maharaj accusing the latter of working as a clandestine agent of the BJP despite being a monk of Bharat Sevashram Sangha.
Even during the last communal violence and riot-like situation at the minority-dominated Murshidabad district, Mamata Banerjee, without naming him, indirectly held Kartik Maharaj as a conspirator behind the tension.
Kartik Maharaj, however, vehemently denied the charges.
–IANS
src/pgh