Calcutta HC refuses interim relief in Trinamool billboard row on Camac Street
Synopsis
The Calcutta High Court has refused to order reinstatement of a billboard torn down from Abhishek Banerjee's Camac Street office, saying the case is too premature for interim relief. With 13 TMC activists arrested and cases naming Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O'Brien, the dispute has moved simultaneously into the courts and the criminal justice system — making this far more than a hoarding dispute.
Key Takeaways
The Calcutta High Court on 28 August refused to grant interim relief to the TMC faction seeking reinstatement of a billboard removed from Abhishek Banerjee 's Camac Street office.
Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury ruled the case was at a premature stage; affidavits from all parties must be filed before a detailed hearing.
The court also rejected TMC's plea to submit the names of KMC staff and Kolkata Police personnel involved in the removal.
13 TMC activists were arrested and three FIRs registered; two cases name Abhishek Banerjee , Derek O'Brien , Humayun Kabir , and Baishwanar Chatterjee .
KMC told the court the billboard violated municipal rules — no prior permission was obtained and no tax was paid.
A single-judge special bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday, 28 August declined to grant any interim relief on a petition filed by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), seeking reinstatement of a billboard removed from the rooftop of party general secretary and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee's office on Camac Street in central Kolkata. The court held that no interim instruction could be issued at this stage until affidavits were filed by all concerned parties.
What the Court Said
Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury, presiding over the special bench, ruled that the case was at a premature stage and that the petitioner could seek a detailed hearing only after all parties had submitted their affidavits. The bench also rejected the TMC faction's separate plea to place on record the names of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) staff and Kolkata Police personnel who had participated in Thursday's removal operation.
The Billboard Removal and What Triggered It
Tension erupted on Camac Street on Thursday, 27 August, after KMC officials, accompanied by Kolkata Police personnel, arrived at Abhishek Banerjee's office to pull down what authorities described as an illegal hoarding. The billboard was removed only after two rounds of scuffles between police and TMC activists. Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, had announced on Thursday that he would challenge the removal in the Calcutta High Court.
KMC informed the court that under municipal corporation rules, prior permission must be obtained and applicable taxes paid before erecting any hoarding or billboard within the municipal area. In this instance, the corporation stated, neither condition had been met.
Arrests and Cases Registered
On Friday morning, the Kolkata Police issued a statement confirming the arrest of 13 TMC activists and the registration of three separate cases in connection with the Camac Street incident. Two of the cases — filed on complaints by an officer of Shakespeare Sarani Police Station and by the KMC — name Abhishek Banerjee, TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien, and party leaders Humayun Kabir and Baishwanar Chatterjee, among others. A third case, registered on a complaint by an officer of Park Street Police Station, has been filed against unknown persons.
What Happens Next
With the court declining interim relief, the TMC faction must now file affidavits before the matter can be listed for a substantive hearing. The episode has added fresh friction to what observers note is an increasingly visible rift within the party's internal power dynamics, with the Camac Street office serving as a symbolic flashpoint. The legal proceedings are expected to continue in the days ahead.
Point of View
But the more consequential development is the FIR naming Abhishek Banerjee alongside Derek O'Brien — a move that transforms a municipal compliance dispute into a political and legal liability. The KMC's position that rules were simply not followed is difficult to contest in court, and the TMC's decision to litigate rather than comply raises questions about whether the party's internal hierarchy is comfortable with the optics of defending an admittedly unpermitted billboard. Notably, this is not an isolated incident — hoarding and public-space disputes have repeatedly been used as proxies for political dominance in West Bengal, and the Camac Street episode fits that pattern precisely.
NationPress
28 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Calcutta High Court refuse interim relief in the Trinamool billboard case?
Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury held that the case was at a premature stage and no interim instruction could be passed until affidavits were filed by all concerned parties. The TMC faction will have to return to court for a detailed hearing only after that process is complete.
Why was the billboard at Abhishek Banerjee's Camac Street office removed?
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation removed the billboard on 27 August, stating it was erected without the mandatory prior permission and without payment of applicable taxes under municipal corporation rules. KMC staff, accompanied by Kolkata Police, carried out the removal after two rounds of scuffles with TMC activists.
Who has been named in the FIRs filed after the Camac Street incident?
Two of the three FIRs name Abhishek Banerjee, TMC Rajya Sabha member Derek O'Brien, and party leaders Humayun Kabir and Baishwanar Chatterjee, among others. A third FIR filed on a Park Street Police Station complaint is against unknown persons. Thirteen TMC activists have been arrested.
What did the TMC petition ask the court to do?
The TMC faction's petition sought reinstatement of the removed billboard and also asked the court to allow submission of the names of KMC staff and Kolkata Police personnel involved in the removal. The court declined both requests at this stage.
What happens next in the Calcutta High Court case?
All concerned parties must now file affidavits before the matter can be listed for a substantive hearing. Only after affidavits are on record can the TMC faction seek the court's attention again for interim or further relief.
