New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s appearance in the Supreme Court Wednesday to argue her petition against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls caused a stir, largely because of the sheer novelty of the move and its unmistakable political messaging.
However, it did not come as a complete surprise to Mamata’s long-time political associates, who have seen her don the black robe before. Over the years, Mamata has steadily risen through the ranks—from an ordinary party worker to the Leader of the Opposition in Bengal, and eventually the chief minister—often blending politics with the courtroom.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, a senior advocate specialising in constitutional writ jurisdictions, told ThePrint that Mamata had appeared several times as a lawyer in various district courts of Bengal, coming to the defence of people facing “political persecution during the Left Front regime”.
In one instance, said senior journalist and political commentator Jayanta Ghosal, she obtained bail for 41 arrested people.
Roy, who has worked with Mamata since the 1970s when they were both in the Congress, said the district courts where she argued as a lawyer included Alipur, Balurghat and Bankshall.
The front page of the leading Bengali daily Sangbad Pratidin dated 10 July 1996 featured a picture of Mamata in a lawyer’s attire at the Bankshall Court in Kolkata. Mamata resigned from the Congress in December 1997 and formed the Trinamool Congress on 1 January 1998.
The last time she donned the black robe was in June 2003 when she appeared in Bankshall court after seven Mayor-in-Council members of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation were arrested. However, she did not plead for the accused.
“Time and again, she came to the defence of our party workers when they were being persecuted during the rule of the Left Front due to political rivalry. Someone like me, who never even slapped anyone, had 25 cases; so you can well imagine the level of intimidation that prevailed then. It is in that climate that she argued those cases,” Roy recalled.
According to the chief minister’s election affidavits, Mamata completed her law degree from Jogesh Chandra Chaudhuri Law College in Kolkata. To be sure, on Wednesday, Mamata appeared in the Supreme Court not in the capacity of a lawyer, but as a petitioner-in-person.
Roy termed it “historic and unique”.
“She appeared in the apex court for the first time, and the way she placed her arguments, with the consent of the court, was also remarkable. Her presentation was like that of a senior counsel, pinpointing the issues she wanted to flag. To her credit, she also made a political point by placing on record that the Election Commission was working at the behest of the ruling BJP,” Roy said.
Ghosal, who is Mamata’s biographer and also briefly worked as her adviser, said she often recounts instances of appearing as a lawyer to secure the release of party workers in the past.
He underlined that the political significance of her appearance in the Supreme Court on Wednesday could not be emphasised enough.
“Firstly, she has captured the political centre stage not just in the state, but nationally. Even the BJP’s central leadership is conceding that she is shaping the political narrative ahead of the assembly elections,” the TMC Rajya Sabha MP said.
“The BJP has been left on the defensive instead of playing up anti-incumbency against her government. She is also cashing in on the anti-Delhi sentiment that has historically defined Bengal.”
