The state is not legally bound to solve a dispute between a section of filmmakers and a federation of technicians that has allegedly stalled several projects in Tollygunge, the government told Calcutta High Court on Wednesday.

“The petitioner has no grievance against the state government. It is a dispute between two private parties, between two trade unions. The state has no legal obligation. I am no one here,” Sirsanya Bandopadhyay, counsel for the state, told a division bench of Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Reetobroto Kumar Mitra.

The bench was hearing an appeal filed by the state against an earlier order by a single judge. The April 3 order came on a petition by a
director who alleged that the powerful technicians’ federation in Tollygunge was not allowing her to work independently.

The Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India (FCTWEI), headed by Swarup Biswas, brother of senior Trinamool leader and minister Aroop Biswas.

A similar petition was filed by 14 other filmmakers. They are part of the Directors Association of Eastern India, which includes some leading names in the industry and has long accused the federation of “ruining” their work environment by imposing its diktats.

The April 3 order by Justice Amrita Sinha had restrained the technicians’ federation from interfering with the independent functioning of the petitioner. Justice Sinha allowed the petitioner to file a “comprehensive representation highlighting all grievances” before the secretary of the information and cultural affairs department of the state government.

Justice Sinha directed the secretary to hear all “the necessary parties” and pass a “reasoned” order within four weeks from the date of filing of the representation.

The state’s challenge against this order was heard by the division bench on Wednesday.

A contempt petition has since been filed, alleging that the April 3 order was not being complied with. Recently, the shoot of at least two more films and a music video has been stalled after the technicians did not turn up at the sets. The persons directing the films are among those who have petitioned the court against the federation.

In a subsequent order, on May 19, Justice Sinha asked the secretary of the information and cultural affairs department to ensure that directors could work freely and seek the help of local police in that regard if needed.

The petitioner has demanded the state’s intervention until a review committee — tasked with deciding on the jurisdiction of the federation, among other things — starts functioning.

The committee was announced by chief minister Mamata Banerjee to end a stand-off between the directors and the federation that led to an impasse that crippled shooting in the studios for days in July last year.

The committee — which Mamata said would be chaired by veteran filmmaker Goutam Ghose and include actors Prosenjit Chatterjee and Dev and ministers Indranil Sen and Aroop Biswas — was supposed to submit a report and formulate a set of standard operating procedures for shooting films, serials, OTT films, ad films and the likes in three months.

The panel has not been notified yet.

On Wednesday, Bandopadhyay, appearing for the state, said: “There is no government record about the committee. There is nothing on paper to suggest that such a committee exists. It was merely proposed; it was never formed. Because of something that had happened a year ago, anyone and everyone cannot come and say that my private disputes are to be resolved by the department”.

The bench fixed the matter for hearing on July 2.