President appoints Kaushik Chanda as Calcutta HC judge, TMC raises questions

New Delhi, Sep 3 (UNI) President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday appointed Justice Kausik Chanda, Additional Judge of the Calcutta High Court, to be a Judge of the Calcutta High Court, an official statement said.

This was met with a sharp reaction from the Trinamool Congress, which has in the past raised questions on his connections with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee tweeted a picture of the Justice sitting on a dais, with a poster in the background saying “BJP Law and Legal Affairs Department”.
“Sad State of Affairs. New India!” Banerjee said in his tweet.

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had appealed to the court to remove Justice Kaushik Chanda from hearing her case against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s election victory in Nandigram. While the Justice recused himself from the case, he had also imposed a fine on the Chief Minister.