Calcutta High Court imposes fine on Sourav Ganguly and Bengal govt over irregular allotment of plot to the cricketer

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly and the West Bengal government were imposed with a fine of 10,000 and 50,000 rupees, respectively by a division bench of Calcutta High Court comprising acting chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee, for giving an irregular allotment plot to the BCCI president to set the school in a nearby New Town area in Kolkata.

Ganguly had a long-term investment in mind by setting up a school so that it is easily accessible for aspiring students. But it has landed him and as well as the West Bengal government in trouble. Although the jury said that it won’t quash the allotment as for now it stands surrendered already. But the fine could go up to 50,000 each on the state and WBHIDCO (West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation).

“We need not quash the allotment of the plot as the same stands already surrendered, however, for the conduct of the State in generating litigation by the arbitrary exercise of power which runs totally contrary to the law laid down by the Supreme Court, we impose a cost of Rs 50,000 each on state and WBHIDCO (West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation),” the Bench said according to News 18.

Sourav Ganguly imposed a fine of 10,000 rupees

For now, the bench has imposed a ‘token cost of 10,000’ on the former India captain and the ‘Ganguly Education and Welfare Society’. The Bench said both the parties should have acted responsibly especially when the earlier judgment passed related to arbitrary plot allotment was in their favor.

“For the reason that even they should have acted in accordance with the law especially considering the earlier judgment whereby arbitrary allotment of plot in their favor was set aside by the Supreme Court.”

Further, the bench concluded by saying that there should be set rules laid out so that there won’t be any issues related to the exercise of power by applying to pick or choosing what the party feels.

“The state government and HIDCO will be at liberty to recover the cost from the respective persons in their employment, who were responsible for the irregular allotment of the concerned plot of land in favor of the Respondent,” the bench added.

For now, the plot of land in question has been surrendered to WBHIDCO on August 2020.