Work in progress at Bagbazar Sarbojanin Durga Puja pandal. Photo by Indranil Das
Bagbazar Puja and the club’s governing body required a 14-member managing committee. After voting, four candidates were tied among 12 members of the managing committee. One side then approached the Sealdah City Civil Court, which directed that the committee be finalised through a casting vote by Sept 10. The puja began in 1919 at 55 Bagbazar Street as Nebubagan Barowari Durga Puja. In 1930, Calcutta Municipal Corporation alderman Durgacharan Bandyopadhyay became president and introduced a Swadeshi exhibition to promote Indian-made goods. Freedom fighters, including Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, who served as president in 1938-39, and Chittaranjan Das used the venue to mobilise support and provide shelter to underground revolutionaries.
We will now move full steam ahead to make up for lost time,” said Neogi. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kolkata | Silver Rate in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata | Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Petrol Price in Kolkata | Diesel Price in Kolkata | CNG Price in Kolkata | LPG Price in Kolkata Stay updated with the latest Kolkata news.
Hailing the order, Goutam Neogi, who tied for the general secretary’s post and has now been declared elected, said the committee had already started preparing for the puja after the HC did not issue an injunction on the lower court order. Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya dismissed club member Rabishankar Sengupta’s petition challenging the casting-vote procedure. Two candidates for secretary also received equal votes. This was as per the provisions of the Societies Act under which the puja committee is registered. Though president Samar Kumar Pal cast his vote for each of the tied posts to break the deadlock, Sengupta challenged the verdict before HC, arguing that the casting-vote procedure conducted under the lower court’s direction was flawed, arguing that the president had the right to only one and not five casting votes. Rejecting his contention, Justice Bhattacharyya held that the method used to constitute the committee was proper. “We are already a month behind schedule. For many Kolkatans, Bagbazar remains a must-visit for its traditional ekchala-style idol of Goddess Durga. It later moved across several locations, including Pashupati Bose Lane and Bagbazar Kali temple, before settling at its permanent grounds. Social worker Nagendra Nath Ghoshal helped formalise the organising committee and named it Bagbazar Sarbojanin Durgotsav. Download the TOI App.
Kolkata: Calcutta High Court on Tuesday upheld a lower court ruling validating the process followed to constitute the Bagbazar Puja committee, thereby resolving a deadlock over the oldest community Durga Puja in Kolkata.