The Darjeeling Bar Association launched an indefinite ceasework from Thursday, demanding the transfer of judicial magistrate Alakananda Sarkar from the Munpoo court, about 30km from here.
Pranay Rai, the vice-president of the association, said: “All members of the bar association started an indefinite ceasework from today demanding the immediate transfer of the judicial magistrate from Mungpoo.”
Sarkar had been embroiled in a controversy in August following an allegation that she was restricting the use of the Nepali language in the Mungpoo court.
“Following the incident, she had gone on leave, but we had demanded that she be transferred. We have found that she has joined work at Mungpoo,” said Rai.
Following the incident, Bengal law minister Moloy Ghatak had written to the chief justice of Calcutta High Court on the issue. Later, the judicial magistrate issued a written apology.
“I, Alakananda Sarkar, a member of WBJS, presently posted as Judicial Magistrate at Mungpoo wish to extend my sincere and unconditional apology for the incident that happened on my part to the member of Bar Association, Darjeeling,” the letter signed by Sarkar and released by the bar association last month read.
The magistrate also said she understood that her action might have hurt the sentiments of not only lawyers but also the Nepali-speaking community at large.
“However, I had no intention to hurt the sentiment of Nepali Speaking people, if any person or the community got hurt, I am tendering my unconditional apology. The word was casually uttered by me out of my frustration and ill health,” the letter said.
Ghatak said in his letter that on August 18, the Darjeeling Bar Association had received a representation from the Mungpoo Bar Association.
“…wherein it has been alleged that Smt Alokananda Sarkar, judicial magistrate 1st Class in Mungpoo Court has stated in open Court that She would not allow the use Nepali Language in the Court as well as in the normal communication between the employees of the Court and the legal fraternity as Nepali is a language of Nepal and not of India (sic),” read Ghatak's letter.