A single-judge special bench of the Calcutta High Court on Sunday, 19 July ordered a status quo on any further demolition of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) general secretary and Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee's party office at Amtala in South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, pending a hearing before a regular bench. The court, however, did not reverse demolition work already carried out by the district administration.

What the Court Ordered

Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury, presiding over the urgent Sunday hearing, directed that no further action be taken on the building until the matter is placed before a regular bench of the Calcutta High Court. He also ordered that construction-related details be submitted to the regular bench for further scrutiny. The court's intervention stops short of restoring the status of the structure — it freezes only prospective action.

Arguments on Both Sides

Banerjee's counsel and former West Bengal Advocate General Kishor Datta argued that the administration had served demolition notice on a director of the corporate entity that owns the land, rather than on the building's owner — a violation, he said, of Panchayat rules that require notice to be served on the owner first. Datta also accused the district administration of providing inadequate time for a hearing. 'The notice was served on June 30, and on July 8, we were informed that the date of hearing on July 15 was scheduled. After that, the demolition started on July 18 without prior intimation,' Datta argued in court.

Countering those submissions, current Advocate General Surajit Nath Mitra maintained that all procedural details were included in the June 30 notice and that the building had been constructed without a valid building sanction plan.

Banerjee's Social Media Statement

Separately, Abhishek Banerjee — nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee — issued a statement on social media on Sunday, alleging that his Diamond Harbour constituency office at Amtala was demolished on Saturday, 18 July, despite Supreme Court and Calcutta High Court rulings holding bulldozer demolitions unconstitutional. In his post, Banerjee alleged: 'Videos show @WBPolice carrying away trunks filled with laptops, printers, documents, tables, chairs, and other furniture alongside BJP goons. This was not demolition — It was theft in uniform, carried out with utter contempt for the rule of law and while the matter remains sub judice before the High Court. Those meant to uphold the law have become lawbreakers. Shame on West Bengal Police!'

Background and Broader Context

The demolition of Abhishek Banerjee's Amtala office comes amid heightened political tensions in West Bengal, where the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have been locked in an escalating confrontation. Bulldozer demolitions of political opponents' properties have drawn repeated judicial scrutiny across India, with the Supreme Court having previously cautioned against their use as an instrument of state action. This case adds to that growing body of contested demolitions now before the courts.

The matter is expected to come up before a regular bench of the Calcutta High Court, where the administration will be required to place full construction and notice details on record.