West Bengal

Siliguri, India: The Greater Siliguri Hoteliers Welfare Association has announced a strict ban on accommodating Bangladeshi nationals in any hotel across Siliguri. Even visitors arriving on medical visas will no longer be allowed to stay, citing ongoing violence against Hindus in Bangladesh as the reason. Ujjwal Ghosh, Joint Secretary of the association, stated, “Considering the situation in Bangladesh over the past year, we had earlier decided not to provide lodging to Bangladeshi tourists. Initially, for humanitarian reasons, we allowed only medical and student visa holders. However, due to the worsening conditions, we have now revoked even this exception. Our nation comes first, followed by business interests.” Ban Notices Displayed at HotelsSeveral hotels in the Junction area hav...

In a significant ruling with far-reaching implications for cross-border matrimonial disputes, the Calcutta High Court has held that foreign courts cannot adjudicate divorce or maintenance matters when the marriage was solemnised in India and both spouses are Indian residents, unless specific jurisdictional conditions are met. A Division Bench comprising Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Justice Supratim Bhattacharyya, in an order dated December 15, set aside an earlier order of a lower court that had favoured the wife and stayed the maintenance order passed by a UK family court. The court observed that under the Hindu Marriage Act, jurisdiction to entertain matrimonial disputes lies with the district court within whose local limits the parties last resided together as husband and ...

In a sudden political move, Humayun Kabir, leader of the Janata Unnayan Party, revoked the candidacy of social media influencer Nisha Chatterjee from the Bailiganj Assembly seat just 24 hours after announcing her as the party’s candidate. Nisha, expressing her outrage, has threatened legal action, alleging that her removal was due to her Hindu identity. Kabir had declared Nisha Chatterjee as the party candidate during a public event on Monday. However, he raised objections to some of her social media posts and announced that a Muslim candidate would now be nominated for Bailiganj. Responding to the decision, Nisha accused Kabir of defaming her publicly and indicated she may contest the election as an independent candidate. Objections Over Social Media Posts On Tuesday, Humayun Kab...

West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas has submitted his resignation to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, taking moral responsibility for the chaos that erupted during an event featuring football icon Lionel Messi at Kolkata’s iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) on December 13. The incident, marked by serious mismanagement and disorder, drew sharp criticism from across the country and abroad, bringing unwelcome attention and embarrassment to Kolkata. According to sources, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had asked the Sports Minister to either accept responsibility for the lapses or step down from his post. Following this directive, Biswas handed over his resignation through a handwritten letter, requesting to be relieved of his responsibilities. The resignatio...