The Bar Council of India has directed the West Bengal Bar Council to submit a detailed report on the record and legal practice of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee within 48 hours, as reported by PTI.
Earlier in the day, Banerjee appeared at the Calcutta High Court wearing a lawyer’s robes to argue a case related to the alleged post-election violence and attacks on party offices. According to the prevailing practice, a person who has held constitutional office or gainfully employed must have his or her law license suspended during service and must be renewed again to practice law again.
In a letter, the Bar Council of India (BCI) directed the secretary of the Bar Council of West Bengal to provide complete records within two days regarding Banerjee’s possible enrollment as an advocate and her practice status during and after her tenure as Chief Minister from 2011 to 2026.
A statement issued by BCI Principal Secretary Sriramanto Sen said the Council took note of “various media reports” claiming that Banerjee had appeared in court in legal attire, including white bar bands.
“Mamata Banerjee served as the Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2011 to 2026. In view of her constitutional public office held during the said period, and without expressing any opinion at this stage on the admissibility or impermissibility of such performance, the Bar Council of India requires the factual status of her enrollment, practice, suspension, if any, and reinstatement of communications,” to be verified from your records.
Mamata claims police are not functioning in post-poll attacks
Mamata Banerjee told the Calcutta High Court that the police did not act effectively during the post-election violence in West Bengal, while stressing that the state was not a “bulldozer state” amid ongoing demolition drives against illegal constructions.
She appeared in court for the first time on the matter, arguing a case related to alleged attacks on party workers and officials following the 2026 parliamentary election results and seeking urgent judicial protection to protect citizens from further violence.
Mamata Banerjee, an LLB graduate, appeared at the Calcutta High Court in a legal gown, accompanied by Trinamool Congress leaders Chandrim Bhattacharya and Kalyan Banerjee, who are both practicing lawyers.
He appeared to represent a petition filed by Sirsanya Bandyopadhyay, son of Kalyan Banerjee and the party’s candidate from the Uttarpara assembly seat in the recent state elections.
Meanwhile, BJP West Bengal unit president Samik Bhattacharya called Mamata Banerjee’s allegations “baseless” and claimed that while three BJP workers had died at the hands of Trinamool-backed goons since the poll results were announced, the rest of the deaths were “as a result of the TMC fight”.
“The fact is that post-election violence is minimal in Bengal as the BJP government is now in power. We are committed to ridding the state of its culture of political violence and are taking strict action against them, irrespective of their party color or attitudes. Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah are keeping a close eye on the state’s post-election scenario,” Bhattacha said.
