Approached HC 104 times to hold rallies in West Bengal: BJP leader

Leader of Opposition in West Bengal’s Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, said on Thursday (January 1, 2026) that he had approached the Calcutta High Court 104 times to exercise his democratic right to hold rallies and political events.

“After the 2021 Assembly Elections in West Bengal, I had to knock on the doors of the High Court no less than 104 times,” the BJP leader said on social media .

Mr. Adhikari said these interventions by the Calcutta High Court were necessary because the police denied permission “purely to stifle opposition voices and crush democratic rights”.

“Time and again the High Court has slapped down these arbitrary denials and granted permission, exposing the blatant abuse of power by Mamata Banerjee’s Administration,” Mr. Adhikari said, alleging that “this isn’t governance; it’s dictatorship in disguise”.

Mr. Adhikari said he was likely to hit a “double century in appeals before the Court”, before the 2026 Assembly Elections.

Assembly elections are likely in the next few months. Political observers describe the denial of permission to hold rallies as the shrinking of political space. BJP leaders say that the saffron party faces more denials than other opposition parties.