Court rejects Mukul Roy's plea to seek more time to file written objection

Kolkata: Alipurduar Court on Thursday rejected the plea of BJP leader Mukul Roy seeking more time to file written objection to the injunction petition filed by Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee.

The court has also ordered "hearing of the petition of injunction exparte" on March 9.

Banerjee had filed an injunction after Roy failed to tender an apology despite alleging that the MP is the owner of Biswa Bangla Marketing Corporation Limited and Jago Bangla Marketing Private Limited during a public rally on November 10, 2017.

It may be mentioned that on November 21, 2017, the court gave an ad-interim order restraining Roy from making any statement relating Banerjee and the two organisations — Biswa Bangla Marketing Corporation Limited and Jago Bangla Marketing Private Limited — any other body or organisation with which Banerjee does not have any traceable link.

At the same time, the court gave time thrice to Roy to file his written objection to the petition since December. On December 14, 2017, and again on January 4 and February 6, 2018, Roy had prayed for more time to file the objection. The court gave him repeated chances to file the same by February 22 (Thursday) when he again pleaded for more time. The court on Thursday rejected his plea and ordered "exparte" hearing into the injunction against Roy, whose statement will not go on record.

The order reads: "It appears that the defendant of this suit appeared on December 12 in 2017 in this record and since then he had been praying for time to file written objection against the petition of injunction. The date of appearance as noted, shows that the period of 30 days is well over and even on today the defendant could not canvas any special reason which may enable him to get another injunction even for ends of justice. In the given circumstances, and in the view of last specific order, the court is not inclined to allow the instant prayer. For that the petition with prayer for time to file written objection against the petition of injunction is hereby rejected."

After rejecting Roy's petition to file written objection, the court further ordered that "the petition of injunction as filed by the plaintiff of this suit shall be heard exparte against the defendant of this suit."

With the order being passed, Roy or his counsel may remain present in the court during the hearing but their statements would not go on record.