The Calcutta High Court on Monday raised questions over the legality of Lionel Messi’s statue installed in Lake Town, as it continued to hear matters linked to the Salt Lake stadium chaos during the Argentine football star’s visit.
Hearing the cluster of petitions related to the G.O.A.T India Tour fiasco, Justice Parthasarathi Sen sought clarity on the ownership of the land on which the Messi statue stands.
“On whose land is the Messi statue? Is it government land or private land? Can anything be done privately on government land?” Justice Sen asked, underlining the legal implications of erecting a structure without clear authorisation.
Responding to the court’s questions on the statue, the state’s counsel, Kalyan Bandopadhyay, submitted that the installation had been carried out by Trinamool Congress leader Sujit Bose in his personal capacity and not in his role as a minister.
He also informed the court that an enquiry commission had already been constituted and urged that it be allowed to complete its work.
The observations came amid the High Court’s ongoing scrutiny of events surrounding the Messi-themed programme at Salt Lake Stadium, which had descended into chaos after mismanagement triggered vandalism.
The event’s chief organiser Satadru Dutta has since been arrested.
A division bench of the Calcutta High Court had earlier directed the West Bengal government to submit a detailed report on the Salt Lake incident by 22 December.
The statue issue has added a fresh layer of complexity to a case already steeped in political and administrative controversy.
Petitioners have alleged financial irregularities in ticket sales for the Messi event and demanded probes by independent agencies, including the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.
They have also questioned the credibility of the enquiry committee announced by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, branding it an attempt to shield those responsible.
Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari and two advocates have sought the constitution of a “truly independent” enquiry committee headed by a sitting judge of the High Court, alleging a ticket sale scam and monetary fraud, and calling for the arrest of two state ministers.
Two state ministers, Aroop Biswas, who holds the Power and Housing portfolio, and Sujit Bose, the minister of state (independent charge) for fire and emergency services, came under scanner following Lionel Messi’s Kolkata visit, with allegations of mismanagement marring the high-profile event.
The controversy eventually led to Biswas resigning as the sports minister, a post he had held since 2016, as the fallout from the chaos continued to snowball.
The West Bengal government has since initiated a series of actions over the lapses during Messi’s GOAT India tour event at Salt Lake Stadium, including issuing show-cause notices to senior officials and ordering multiple probes based on the recommendations by the enquiry committee.
