Kolkata Book Fair:HC passes stay order on preparations

Kolkata, Jan 19 (UNI) Calcutta High Court today passed a stay order on the ongoing preparations to hold the 22nd Kolkata Book Fair on the Bridage parade ground here till the requisitory permission from the statutory bodies were received.

The publishers and the booksellers guild had started erecting stalls without taking permission from the police, fire brigade and other state government agencies, necessary for holding any fair.

A two-judge bench headed by acting Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya issued the interim order upon a petition filed by lawyer Sabyasachi Chowdhary challenging the permission by the Army authorities to hold the fair on the ground despite a court order against any fair on this ground.

The next hearing of the petition would be held on January 25.

Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Kalyan Banerjee argued before the bench that the ground was God's gift to the city, which is being choked by various pollution and rapid growth of a concrete jungle.

He further pleaded that such a gift in the heart of the city should not be allowed to be destroyed by anyone when the court had already banned any sort of gatherings or fairs on the ground.

Counsel Arunabha Ghosh, who also pleaded on behalf of the petitioner, said it was discriminatory on the part of the Army to grant permission, exclusively to the guild, to hold the fair on the ground.

The court had further asked the guild to file an affidavit on Monday stating why they had started the work so hurriedly.

UNI