HC admits PILs seeking central probe into Messi event chaos
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday agreed to hear a clutch of public interest litigations arising out of the violent crowd unrest at Salt Lake Stadium during Saturday’s event showcasing Argentine football legend Lionel Messi.
A Division Bench led by Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Pal allowed the filing of three separate PILs linked to the episode and indicated that the matters would be taken up together for hearing later this week. The petitions have been moved by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and advocates Sabyasachi Chattopadhyay and Mainak Ghoshal.
The petitioners have reportedly sought court intervention for transferring the probe into the stadium violence to central agencies, including the CBI, Enforcement Directorate and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office.
They have flagged alleged mismanagement of the event, questioned the handling of the situation that led to large-scale crowd unrest, and raised concerns over possible financial irregularities related to ticket sales and associated transactions. Appearing for Adhikari, advocate Bilwadal Bhattacharya urged the court to order an independent probe to identify the factors that triggered the chaos. He also challenged the authority of the three-member inquiry committee set up by the state government, alleging that the incident had caused embarrassment to the state at an international level.
The other two petitions contended that the state-appointed committee was constituted in haste and sought scrutiny of suspicious monetary dealings connected to the event.
The inquiry committee, headed by retired judge Ashim Kumar Ray, with the chief secretary and home secretary as members, visited the vandalised stadium on Sunday. The panel said it would submit its report within a fortnight. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has said the committee’s mandate includes fixing accountability and suggesting measures to prevent such incidents.
Officials have estimated damage to stadium property at over Rs 2 crore following the rampage, which broke out after Messi’s brief and tightly secured appearance left many spectators disappointed despite paying high ticket prices and travelling from far and wide.
