Kolkata, Dec 13 (NationPress) The Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, asserted on Saturday that the judicial committee established by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to investigate the 'mismanagement' resulting in chaos at Salt Lake Stadium, where the renowned Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi performed, is structurally compromised.

In a letter addressed to the West Bengal Governor, Adhikari urged for an independent judicial inquiry into the incident, recommending the disbanding of the committee initiated by the Chief Minister.

The committee, led by Justice (Retd) Ashim Kumar Ray, includes state chief secretary Manoj Pant and Nandini Chakraborty, the additional secretary in the state home and hill affairs department, as other members.

Adhikari's letter, a copy of which has been obtained by IANS, states, “In an effort to mitigate public discontent, the Hon’ble Chief Minister has announced the formation of an enquiry committee. With utmost respect, I submit that this committee is structurally compromised, legally flawed, and morally unjustifiable.”

According to Adhikari, the committee is chaired by a retired judge who simultaneously serves as Chairperson of a statutory body directly under the state's administrative purview, along with senior bureaucrats from the same executive hierarchy whose actions and omissions are already under scrutiny.

“This arrangement violates the basic tenet of jurisprudence, nemo judex in causa sua, meaning no one can be a judge in their own case. An inquiry led by those institutionally connected to the government accused of misconduct is not a legitimate inquiry; it is a predetermined exercise in absolution. Such committees, Your Excellency, do not reveal the truth; they create convenience. They do not assign accountability; they propagate forgetfulness. They do not uphold constitutional ethics; they manipulate procedures to protect power,” the letter further stated.

Consequently, Adhikari called upon the Governor to utilize his constitutional powers to establish a genuinely independent inquiry committee, led by a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court, and supported by individuals of impeccable integrity with no ties to the state government.