The chaos that unfolded at Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday has now reached the Calcutta High Court, adding a legal layer to a controversy that has already embarrassed the state administration and raised questions over crowd control, accountability and money flow behind one of Kolkata’s most hyped events.
On Monday, acting Chief Justice Sujoy Pal allowed the filing of three separate public interest litigations (PILs) linked to the spectator rampage during Argentine football legend Lionel Messi’s showcasing event at the stadium.
The petitions seek judicial intervention to shift the probe from the state police to central agencies such as the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO).
The petitions have been filed separately by the state’s Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and advocates Sabyasachi Chattopadhyay and Mainak Ghoshal. The court is expected to hear the matters together later this week.
Appearing on behalf of Adhikari, advocate Bilwadal Bhattacharya sought permission to move a petition calling for a deeper probe into what triggered the unrest inside the stadium.
He also questioned the authority of the three-member inquiry committee set up by the state government, which is headed by retired justice Ashim Kumar Ray.
“The turn of events led to a loss of face for West Bengal before the entire world,” the petitioner alleged.
The other two petitions echoed similar concerns, arguing that the state-appointed committee was formed in haste.
They also pressed for a probe into possible financial irregularities, including ticket sales and suspicious monetary transactions linked to the event.
As the legal scrutiny gathers pace, Bidhannagar Police, which is currently investigating the case, has frozen the bank accounts of the organisation responsible for selling and distributing tickets.
Police have also ordered a halt to monetary transactions between the organisation and Shatadru Dutta, the prime organiser of the event, who has since been arrested, officials said.
Meanwhile, the high-level committee headed by retired justice Ashim Kumar Ray, with the chief secretary and home secretary as members, visited the vandalised stadium on Sunday to assess the damage.
Speaking to reporters, the committee said it would submit its report within the next fortnight.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had announced the formation of the committee within hours of the incident, stating that its mandate included fixing accountability and recommending steps to prevent a recurrence.
The violence erupted after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, his first at the venue since 2011, left large sections of the crowd angry and disappointed.
Many spectators, who had travelled long distances and paid high ticket prices, failed to catch even a glimpse of the football icon. What followed was an unprecedented rampage that caused damage estimated at over Rs 2 crore to the stadium.
