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Messi Event Chaos in Kolkata: Why Two PILs Demand Deeper Probe

Two public interest litigations have been filed in the Calcutta High Court over the chaotic Lionel Messi event in Kolkata. The petitions call for investigations into alleged financial irregularities in ticket sales and challenge the state government's own probe committee. The opposition leader has labeled the government committee as "structurally compromised" and has asked the Governor to intervene. The court has admitted both petitions, setting the stage for a legal battle over the event's mismanagement.

Key Points: Calcutta HC Admits PILs on Messi Kolkata Event Mismanagement

  • PILs demand probe into ticket pricing irregularities from Rs 3,000 to Rs 12,000
  • One PIL challenges the state-formed committee as an "eyewash"
  • The committee is headed by a retired judge and includes top bureaucrats
  • Opposition leader requests Governor to order an independent judicial probe
2 min read

Two PILs filed in Calcutta HC on Messi event chaos in Kolkata

Two PILs challenge the state's probe committee, alleging financial irregularities and calling the government's investigation an "eyewash" to protect offenders.

"Hence, the said committee announced by the Chief Minister is structurally compromised. - Suvendu Adhikari"

Kolkata, Dec 15

Two public interest litigations (PILs) were filed at a division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Monday regarding the lapses in management at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on December 13 during an event featuring football star Lionel Messi.

The first PIL filed by senior advocate Billwadal Bhattacharya demanded a thorough probe into the alleged financial irregularities in the sale of tickets, where different tickets fetched different prices, starting from Rs 3,000 to Rs 12,000.

The second PIL, filed by senior counsel Sabyasachi Chattopadhyay, has demanded a probe by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) into the matter.

Chattopadhyay's PIL has challenged the formation of a committee headed by a retired justice of the Calcutta High Court to probe the mismanagement at the Messi show. The petition has claimed that the probe committee announced by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was nothing but eyewash and was intended to protect the principal offenders behind the management.

The division bench headed by the Calcutta High Court's Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul has admitted both petitions, and they are expected to come up for hearing on Tuesday.

The said probe committee announced by the Chief Minister immediately after the event of chaos at Salt Lake Stadium is headed by Justice (Retd.) Ashim Kumar Ray of the Calcutta High Court. The other two members of the committee are West Bengal Chief Secretary, Manoj Pant, and the additional secretary to the state home & hill affairs department, Nandini Chakraborty.

The Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has written a letter to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose and requested him to order an independent judicial probe into the matter, scrapping the committee announced by the Chief Minister.

Adhikari has also claimed that it is headed by a retired judge who simultaneously holds the office of Chairperson of a statutory authority functioning directly under the administrative control of the state government, and others are senior-most bureaucrats of the same executive hierarchy whose decisions, omissions, and complicity are already under scrutiny.

"Hence, the said committee announced by the Chief Minister is structurally compromised," Adhikari claimed in his letter to the Governor.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
The chaos at the stadium was dangerous. People could have been seriously hurt. While I appreciate the swift announcement of a committee, if the retired judge is still under the government's control, how can it be independent? The PIL challenging it raises a valid point.
R
Rohit P
Typical Bengal politics playing out. Instead of fixing the mess, everyone is busy filing PILs and writing letters to the Governor. The common fan who paid thousands and faced chaos is forgotten. Just give us our money back!
P
Priya S
My cousin was there. She said it was pure mismanagement - no proper queues, security was clueless. The committee with the Chief Secretary as a member is a joke. He's part of the executive that failed! An independent probe is the only way.
M
Michael C
Respectfully, I think we should let the court-appointed committee do its work first before calling it an "eyewash." The HC has admitted the petitions, so the legal process is moving. Let's trust the judiciary to ensure a fair outcome.
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Nisha Z
This is about more than just a football event. It's about accountability in public events. If they can't manage a friendly match, what about larger crises? The financial probe is crucial. Where did all that ticket money go? 💰

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