Supreme Court Rejects PIL on Kolkata Airport Incident with Abhishek Banerjee’s Wife
Customs Officer’s Petition Dismissed
The Supreme Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a customs officer, seeking an investigation into the 2019 incident at Kolkata airport involving Rujira Banerjee, wife of Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee.
Incident at Kolkata Airport
- Rujira Banerjee and her sister Maneka Gambhir were stopped by customs officers at Kolkata airport while returning from Bangkok.
- Customs officer Raj Kumar Barthwal alleged that the Bengal police obstructed customs officers from performing their duties.
Supreme Court’s Decision
- The Supreme Court questioned the customs officer’s right to file the PIL and asked him to pay Rs 10 lakh, which would be forfeited if he failed to argue his case.
- After this, the PIL was withdrawn.
- Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Manmohan asked why a customs officer, rather than the customs department or the Centre, approached the court on this issue.
Rujira’s Advocate’s Statement
Rujira’s advocate, Sanjay Basu, said, “The SC stated that if the petitioner wishes to proceed, he must deposit Rs 10 lakh with the court, which would stand forfeited if the petitioner failed. This highlighted the court’s cautious approach towards frivolous PILs being filed without substantial legal standing.”
Customs Department’s Complaint
Interestingly, the customs department had previously filed a police complaint on this issue. The complaint was dismissed in a police final report in the court on Sept 24, 2020. “The police, after examining all evidence, witness statements, and seized items, could not find any tangible evidence to support the allegations made in the complaint filed by the complainant, S K Biswas, assistant commissioner of customs,” said a senior officer.
Calcutta High Court’s Order
In a separate order in June 2020, the Calcutta High Court quashed the summons issued by the customs department under Section 108 of the Customs Act, 1962, to Rujira and Maneka.
