Malady of ’Judicial Activism’ in West Bengal | Arup Kumar Sen

Very recently, some untoward incidents took place in West Bengal in the political campaigns pertaining to the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. The former ’jurist’ and judge of the Calcutta High Court, Abhijit Gangopadhyay, who recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) immediately after his voluntary retirement, has been barred by the Election Commission of India (EC) for campaigning for 24 hours for uttering foul words against the West Bengal chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, in his campaign speech on May 15, 2024. Gangopadhyay is the BJP’s Tamluk candidate in the current Lok Sabha Elections. The ECI order stated: “The Commission hereby strongly censures Abhijit Gangopadhyay for the above-said misconduct…and also strictly warns him to remain careful in his utterances during the currency of Model Code of Conduct.