DESHMA GHOSH Vs. STATE OF WEST BENGAL

JUDGEMENT

(1.) This is an application, inter alia, praying for a direction upon the State and the College authorities to provide adequate security and protection in the Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri College and the Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College situated at 30&33, Prince Anwar Shah Road, Kolkata-700033 and to ensure that no outsider can forcefully enter into the college campus and hamper the free ingress and egress to the Saraswati Pujas that are to take place there.

(2.) Learned senior counsel representing the petitioner submits as follows. The petitioner is a student of 9th Semester at the Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College. For the two colleges being the Day College and the Law College, there are two Saraswati Pujas that are held every year. This time a structure has been built in the College campus in such a fashion that the ingress and egress to the other side is substantially blocked. Therefore, it will not be possible for the Law College students to perform the Saraswati Puja at their place. The issue has been raised before the respective College authorities. But, no solution came out. In fact, the outsiders who are getting into the College premises are threatening people and are endangering the life and liberty of students going there. Some five of those outsiders had earlier been prevented by this Court in WPA 24026 OF 2023 not to create any disturbance in the College or in the vicinity. The Officer-in-Charge who is supposed to look into all these is hand in gloves with the said five errant individuals. Appropriate directions may be passed on the College authorities and the State so that the College students of both the Colleges can carry out their respective Saraswati Pujas without undue interference by outsiders.

(3.) Learned counsel appearing on behalf of the Governing Body of the Day College and the Teacher-in-Charge of the Law College, upon instructions submits as follows. For quite sometime now, there has been no union election in the Colleges. Some portions of the Colleges are often frequented by outsiders and the College authorities are in no position to prevent them. Police have been informed in this regard. The structure that is allegedly blocking the ingress and egress has not been wound up by any group. However, the Governing Body of the Day College has decided that their Saraswati Puja would be confined to the veranda of car park ("Gari Veranda"). The Puja of the Law College students would take place at the same place where it is usually held.