Calcutta High Court halts demolition of Banerjee office

The Calcutta High Court on Sunday, July 19, 2026, ordered a halt to the demolition of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee’s constituency office in Amtala, South 24 Parganas, granting interim relief in a politically charged dispute. The court directed that status quo be maintained until at least the end of July and required the West Bengal government to submit all documents related to the property for review by a regular bench.

The order came after a special sitting by Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury, convened to hear an urgent petition filed by Leaps and Bounds, a company reportedly owning the building. The Enforcement Directorate has identified Banerjee as the chief executive officer of that company in a separate matter. The court’s status quo order suspends any further demolition but does not reverse the partial demolition already carried out by district authorities the previous day, Saturday, July 18.

Officials from the South 24 Parganas district administration stated the demolition was initiated because the five-story building was constructed without an approved building plan and in violation of applicable regulations. They said a notice was issued on June 30, with a hearing...