FIVE DECADES OF BOOKSTALL TRADITION MEETS A LEGAL ROADBLOCK AS CALCUTTA HIGH COURT SUGGESTS KALI PUJA ALTERNATIVE FOR CPI(M)

October 12, 2026

The Calcutta High Court on Monday suggested that the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) could consider setting up its bookstalls during Kali Puja instead of Durga Puja, after the party challenged the denial of permission to erect temporary stalls at Naihati and Bongaon in North 24-Parganas district. The dispute has brought a longstanding cultural practice into the legal and political spotlight amid growing controversy over the place of CPI(M) bookstalls at Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal.

The petitioners told the court that they had been establishing bookstalls at the two locations during Durga Puja for approximately 50 years. They argued that the denial of permission this year represented a departure from a longstanding arrangement under which the stalls had become a familiar feature of the festive season.

Advocate Shamim Ahmed, appearing for the petitioners, informed the court that the authorities had refused permission, citing a “direction from higher authorities”. The petition challenged the decision to deny the cultural organisation permission to set up its temporary stalls during the festival.

Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya, who heard the matter, questioned whether the fact that the petitioners had operated the stalls for five decades automatically entitled them to continue doing so. The judge’s observation placed the issue of longstanding practice alongside the question of whether the necessary permissions could be claimed as a matter of right.

During the hearing, Justice Bhattacharyya verbally suggested that the petitioners could instead organise their bookstalls during Kali Puja, which is scheduled to take place approximately a fortnight later. The suggestion offered a possible alternative for the cultural organisation, although no final ruling on the petition was delivered during Monday’s proceedings.

When the petitioners’ lawyer requested that the case be released from the judge’s court, Justice Bhattacharyya said he would consider the request on Tuesday. The matter was therefore left pending, with the question of the appropriate judicial forum still to be addressed.

CPI(M)’s cultural organisations have traditionally operated temporary bookstalls near Durga Puja pandals across West Bengal. These stalls form part of the party’s wider cultural activities, offering books and publications to visitors during one of the state’s most prominent annual festivals.

The dispute has acquired a wider political dimension following remarks by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari last month. Adhikari had urged Durga Puja committees not to permit CPI(M) bookstalls near pandals if the organisers used the term “Sharodotsav” to describe the festivities, arguing that the terminology diminished the religious character of Durga Puja.

The comments triggered a political controversy over the relationship between the religious identity of the festival and the participation of political and cultural organisations in its public celebrations. The denial of permission at Naihati and Bongaon has now brought that debate into a courtroom.

For the CPI(M) cultural wing, the central question is whether the longstanding presence of its bookstalls should carry weight when authorities consider applications for temporary installations during public festivals. The court’s observations, however, indicate that a history of operating stalls does not necessarily establish an automatic entitlement to permission.

The suggestion that Kali Puja could provide an alternative venue or occasion leaves open the possibility of the cultural activities proceeding later in the festive season. However, the final outcome will depend on the further proceedings and any decision concerning the petition.

The case highlights the intersection of cultural practice, administrative permissions and political disagreement in West Bengal. As the petitioners await the next hearing, the dispute over the CPI(M)’s bookstalls has become part of a larger debate over who may participate in public festival spaces and how authorities should regulate such activities.