- The Bar Council of India seeks details on Mamata Banerjee's law enrolment and practice status
- The West Bengal Bar Council must provide information on her legal career within two days
- Banerjee holds degrees in law, education, and Islamic history
Mamata Banerjee, handed one of the most crushing defeats at the hustings earlier this month, had another setback when she went to court today to argue her party's case. Not only was she booed with slogans of "chor, chor (thief)", the Bar Council of India now wants the full details of her career in law.
The Bar Council of India has written to the state Bar Council today, seeking that it "furnish information regarding enrolment and practice status of Mamata Banerjee, former Chief Minister of West Bengal".
"Ms. Mamata Banerjee served as Chief Minister of West Bengal from 2011 to 2026. Having regard to the constitutional public office held by her during the said period, and without expressing any opinion at this stage on the permissibility or otherwise of such appearance, the Bar Council of India requires the factual status of her enrolment, practice, suspension, if any, and resumption, if any, to be verified from your records," the letter read.
The state bar council has been handed a checklist of information it is expected to provide within two days. These include:
- . Mamata Banerjee's enrolment number and its date, if enrolled with the State Bar Council of West Bengal and whether her name is currently on the rolls.
- * Whether she had, at any point during her tenure as Chief Minister, given any intimation of suspension or cessation from practice. If so, the date on which it was received by the State Bar Council, along with a copy of the application.
- * If any application for resumption of practice was submitted and its date.
- * Whether any Certificate of Practice or practice-status record in her favour is available with the State Bar Council, and "whether the same is presently valid, active, suspended, or otherwise".
- * Whether any other record, intimation, communication, order, or entry exists in relation to her entitlement to practise during or after her tenure as Chief Minister.
Rules say one needs to register with the Bar Council of the Centre or the states to practice law after getting a law degree. Banerjee, along with her Master's degree in Islamic History, also holds a Bachelor's degree in Education and Law.
Earlier today, Banerjee was booed at when she went to the Calcutta High Court to argue a case in connection with alleged post-poll violence and attacks on party offices. Before a bench of Justices Sujoy Paul and Partha Sarathi Sen, she asked the court to intervene to help stop the violence that she said has erupted across the state since the declaration of results on May 4. The violence, she said, has been directed at women and the people from the minority community.
Slogans of "chor", "chor", were raised as she was leaving. Outside the court premises, Banerjee told reporters that she was "assaulted".
Trinamool leader and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee, who accompanied Mamata Banerjee to court, alleged that lawyers under the influence of the BJP had attempted to heckle the former Chief Minister.
