Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Wednesday faced protests by lawyers claiming allegiance to the Congress outside the premises of the Calcutta High Court. The lawyers were upset that the Congress leader was representing agro-processing firm Keventer in a matter filed by West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury alleging corruption in the transfer of State government’s shares to the private company.
Mr. Chowdhury had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) petition in 2018 demanding probe by a Central agency in the process in which the shares of Metro Diary owned by the West Bengal government were transferred to Keventer Agro Ltd. Mr. Chidambaram was leaving the High Court when one of the lawyers who identified himself as Congress supporter Kaustav Bagchi started shouting and accosting him. Slogans like ‘Go Back’ were raised and black flags were waved at him.
