Calcutta High Court Questions Kajori Banerjee’s Role in Rani Birla Girls’ College Committee
In a surprising turn, the Calcutta High Court has raised serious doubts about the appointment of Kajori Banerjee as the president of the working committee at Kolkata’s prestigious Rani Birla Girls’ College. Kajori, who is the sister-in-law of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and a Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillor, doesn’t have a background in education, sparking questions on whether her selection follows the rules.
Justice Bivas Pattanayak, hearing the case on Wednesday, pointed out that the law requires the president of a college’s management committee to be someone deeply involved in education. "She’s just a councillor, with no clear ties to education. So, we need to check if this appointment is even legal," the judge remarked. This development has put the spotlight on governance issues at one of the city’s top undergraduate institutions for girls.
Adding to the drama, the court stepped in to protect the college principal, Srabanti Bhattacharaya. Last month, on August 29, Kajori Banerjee issued a show-cause notice and a suspension order against her. The principal fought back by challenging these orders in the high court.
The case first landed before Justice Biswajit Basu, but the state government’s lawyer asked him to step aside, which left the judge visibly frustrated. Justice Basu agreed to recuse himself, and the matter moved to Justice Pattanayak’s bench.
In a big relief for the principal, the court slapped an interim stay on both the notice and suspension order. This pause will last another eight weeks, with the next hearing set in six weeks. For now, things at Rani Birla Girls’ College stay steady as the court digs deeper into the controversy surrounding Kajori Banerjee’s appointment and the college management committee.
This ongoing saga highlights growing concerns over political influence in West Bengal’s education sector, and many are watching closely for what comes next.
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