State seeks time to submit SIT report in HC, terms PILs ‘political gimmick’

Kolkata: The West Bengal government on Monday questioned the maintainability of multiple Public Interest Litigations (PILs) filed in connection with the chaos during Argentine football star Lionel Messi’s visit to the Salt Lake Stadium, calling them “politically motivated” and unsupported by evidence.

Before a division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, senior counsel Kalyan Banerjee for the state argued that the three PILs—seeking probes by the Central Bureau of Investigation, and in one case also by the Serious Fraud Investigation Office and the Enforcement Directorate—were misleading and not maintainable in law.

Opposing a petition filed by Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, Banerjee said the pleas amounted to “political interest litigation” and were not backed by any documents. He submitted that ticket sales were handled entirely by the private organiser and that the state’s role was limited to maintaining law and order.

According to the state, organisers had demanded 400 close-proximity passes, of which only 27 were issued. The remaining 373 were duty passes issued by the police. The court was told that 12 close-proximity passes were sought for actor Shah Rukh Khan by organiser Laltu Das.

Counsel representing Messi’s India tour organiser Satadru Dutta argued that requisitions were made for 400 ground passes for performers, players and others, while ticketing was contracted to Zomato.

He said Messi was under NSG protection and entry points were controlled by the police. Despite only 400 badges being issued, an additional 500–600 people entered the ground, a lapse for which organisers could not be blamed, he argued. He also pointed out that several police officers were videographed attempting to take photographs with Messi. Banerjee countered that allegations of ticket black-marketing surfaced only after the incident and that the state had not permitted water bottles inside the stadium, which were brought in by private organisers.

Detailing post-incident actions, Banerjee said the Chief Minister had sought a public apology, the organiser was arrested, five bank accounts frozen, senior officials faced action, including a show-cause notice to the DGP, a judicial enquiry commission headed by a retired High Court judge was formed, and a Special Investigation Team constituted.

On a separate PIL challenging a Messi statue at Lake Town, Banerjee said Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose had installed it in his personal capacity, prompting the bench to question how a statue on public land could be erected privately.

The state sought time to place an SIT-based report before the court. The matter will be heard again on Tuesday.