PILs filed in Calcutta High Court seeks no entry to pandals, ban on fireworks during Kali puja

Two public interest litigations were filed on Tuesday, urging to make all Kali Puja, Jagaddhatri Puja and Kartik Puja pandals no-entry zones and seeking a complete ban on fireworks during Kali puja and Diwali. The case is likely to be heard by a division bench of the chief justice on Thursday (November 5).  

Two public interest litigation has been filed in the Calcutta High Court urging to make all Kali Puja, Jagaddhatri Puja and Kartik Puja pandals no-entry zones and seeking a complete ban on fireworks during Kali puja and Diwali in order to prevent an air pollution spike, a regular occurrence after the twin festivals, which could prove disastrous for COVID patients. The case is likely to be heard by a division bench of the chief justice on Thursday (November 5).

This year, Durga puja was not celebrated in a grand style. Several guidelines were issued by the government during the festive season which people had to follow in order to remain safe from the COVID-19 infection. The Calcutta High Court has directed to keep all puja pandals in the state without spectators to prevent the infection.

One of the litigations was filed by Howrah resident Ajoy Kumar Dey, after whose PIL the HC had declared all Durga Puja pandals as no-entry zones. Dey’s petition, filed through his counsel Bikash Bhattacharya and advocate-on-record Sabyasachi Chatterjee, also seeks a court directive declaring all lakes, ponds and other waterbodies as containment zones for three days during Chhath Puja.

This petition apart, South 24 Parganas resident Anusuya Bhattacharya, too, filed a PIL seeking a complete ban on fireworks during Kali puja.

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Chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay said on Tuesday (November 3) after a meeting chaired by chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna, “We must ensure that our happiness does not cause pain to others. This year, Kali puja must be celebrated in a restrained manner.”