Calcutta, Aug. 18: Calcutta High Court today fined the Bengal BJP Rs 10 lakh for misleading it in the case related to Trinamul MP Abhisekh Banerjee's hate speech, an alleged technical mistake costing the party dear.
Dismissing a petition moved by an office secretary of the state BJP, Justice Dipankar Dutta ordered the party to pay Rs 5 lakh to the State Legal Aid Services Committee and another Rs 5 lakh to the Calcutta High Court Legal Aid Committee within a month.
Justice Dutta said the BJP had misled the court by making the "false allegation" that police did not put the general diary number on the receipt copy.
"Actually, the GD number was on the receipt copy," Justice Dutta said.
In early July, the BJP had moved a petition alleging inaction by Jorasanko police station on the "threatening and distasteful" remarks by the chief minister's nephew at a rally in Basirhat on June 22.
Abhishek had said: "As long as Mamata Banerjee is here, you cannot get away with glaring. If you do, we can gouge out your eyes and throw them on the streets. If you raise a hand, we can cut it off."
A day later, the BJP had lodged complaints at Jorasanko and Basirhat police stations.
According to Som Mandal, the head of the Bengal BJP's legal cell, the personnel at both police stations had refused to lodge an FIR or a general diary, which is why the original receipt copies of both complaints had no general diary number and stamp saying "received - contents not verified".
However, after state BJP president Rahul Sinha held a news conference on June 23 evening, Jorasanko police station put a general diary number on the receipt copy on June 24.
Mandal said the scanning of the copy of the receipt submitted to the court was done on June 23, when the general diary number was yet to be received.
"When the court sought the original, the number was there, because it was put on June 24. We should have submitted an updated scan. But that does not take anything away from the case," Mandal said.
Sinha said the BJP would "seek redress" before the division bench of the chief justice.
Abhishek retweeted a post this afternoon by a supporter, which stated: "Huge blow to @bjpbengal They filed case against @abhishekaitc for hate speech. They not only lost the case but asked to pay compensation!"