Institute of Legal and Management Studies

The Supreme Court today was informed that the Attorney General for India R Venkataramani has not given consent to initiate criminal contempt against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her remarks on the Apex Court's ruling in the teachers' recruitment scam case.

The bench of CJI BR Gavai and Justices K Vinod Chandran, NV Anjaria was hearing a petition by Aatmadeep, a public charitable trust, seeking the initiation of criminal contempt against Banerjee.

Today, the counsel for Aatmadeep requested the bench to allow withdrawal as the Attorney General for India had not given consent to initiate criminal contempt.

He said: "We have received instruction to withdraw the petition, the consent was applied, but the AG has not given consent."

Considering the same, the CJI allowed the petition to be withdrawn.

Previously, Senior Advocate Maninder Singh had requested the bench to defer the matter, as a sanction request had been filed with the Attorney General for obtaining consent to initiate a criminal contempt plea.

In the last hearing, the CJI also verbally remarked on the need for keeping political battles outside the Courtrooms.

In April, the bench of then-Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld the decision of the Calcutta High Court, which invalidated nearly 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff appointments made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) in 2016.

The Court approved the finding of the High Court that the selection process was vitiated by fraud and was tainted beyond repair. The Court upheld the High Court's judgment cancelling the appointments en-block.

The contempt petitioner alleged that the Chief Minister made certain objectionable comments in relation to the judgment.

Case Details : AATMADEEP (A PUBLIC CHARITABLE TRUST) vs. MAMATA BANERJEE |

Diary No. - 21869/2025