KOLKATA: A PIL was filed in the Calcutta High Court on Friday challenging the use of red beacon light on a vehicle belonging to Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mandal.
The PIL has been filed by advocate and BJP leader Tarunjyoti Tiwari. The matter is expected to be heard next week.
In the petition, the petitioner has questioned as to why the state government did not take necessary action to stop Mandal from flashing red beacon on his vehicle. Anubrata Mandal is the Birbhum district president of Trinamool Congress and is not even an elected public representative.
Last year, the police busted a fake Covid-19 vaccination racket run by a bogus Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Debanjan Deb, who used to hoodwink people using a vehicle sporting a red beacon. Soon after that the state government came out with a detailed guideline on the use of beacons on vehicles and also details about who can use the beacon on his vehicle.
According to the state government, red beacons with flashers can be used on the vehicle of the Governor, chief minister, cabinet ranking ministers of the state government, justices of Calcutta High Court and the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly.
Red beacons without flashers can be used on the vehicles of the ministers of states, deputy speaker of the state Assembly, mayor of Kolkata and the state chief secretary.