A Mumbai court on Wednesday issued a summon to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, directing her to appear before March 2. The summon was issued for allegedly disrespecting the national anthem during her visit to the city in December 2021.
According to PTI, the Chief Minister had allegedly not stood up when the national anthem was played at the event she was attending. Bengal CM was on a visit to Mumbai last year during which she met leaders of the ruling Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party in Maharashtra.
The court said that although Mamata Banerjee is a Chief Minister, “a sanction is not required and there is no bar to proceed against the accused” since she was not discharging her official duty.
In December 2021, Mumbai BJP unit functionary Vivekanand Gupta had approached the metropolitan magistrates’ court with a complaint, accusing Mamata Banerjee of disrespecting the national anthem.