Calcutta HC Declines Urgent Relief for Anandabazar Patrika Journalists Over Saffron Hooliganism Headline

The Calcutta High Court denied urgent relief to Anandabazar Patrika journalists facing FIRs over the use of the phrase "Gerua Gundagiri" in reporting violence at Jadavpur University. Senior Advocate S.N. Mookherjee argued for immediate intervention, citing multiple criminal cases against the journalists. The court ruled that the matter should follow regular procedures and declined to specially list it for an urgent hearing, noting several pending quashing petitions. The FIRs were filed following protests by Hindutva-linked groups who objected to the term "saffron hooliganism" used in the headline. Demonstrators painted the newspaper's Kolkata office saffron and raised slogans. The contested phrase appeared in coverage of clashes between ABVP and Left-affiliated student groups during a university meeting, which left several students injured.