The leadership dispute over Kolkata’s Bagbazar Sarbojanin Durga Puja remained unresolved on Thursday after the Calcutta High Court heard arguments in the case but reserved its decision. With Mahalaya 29 days away, preparations for the 108th edition of the puja have yet to begin visibly at the site.
The park’s permanent cement platform remains empty, with no bamboo structure for the pandal and no signs of advertisements, banners or sponsor-related activity. The committee’s budget and arrangements are also reported to be stalled because of uncertainty over who will take charge of the festival.
The case was heard by Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya. After hearing submissions from the parties, the judge reserved the judgment. Court-related reports indicated that a decision could be delivered soon because the matter has been treated as important.
The dispute concerns the formation of the puja’s executive committee. Bagbazar Sarbojanin Durga Puja and Exhibition was registered under the Societies Registration Act around 1932, according to people associated with the organisation. Its members are divided into two categories—members and society members—and a general council elects the secretary, president and 12 other members of the executive committee.
The organisation has generally selected its office-bearers through nomination, although elections were held in 1996, 2004, 2007 and 2010. After a 12-year gap, another election took place in 2022, followed by a further election in 2025.
This year’s election for 14 posts was held on August 30 at a school located within the puja complex. The election took place in the presence of an observer appointed by the city civil court, where the matter was already pending. Of the 77 eligible members, 67 voted, with one ballot later declared invalid.
The result did not settle the dispute. Equal votes were recorded for the secretary’s post and four other executive committee positions. One group argued that the organisation’s constitution allows the president to cast a deciding vote in such a situation because the puja committee is registered under the Societies Registration Act. The opposing group did not accept that interpretation, and the observers appointed by the civil court said they could not decide the issue themselves.
The city civil court said on September 3 that the president could exercise the deciding vote. The opposing side subsequently approached the High Court, according to the report.
The disagreement has also exposed competing views about how the historic puja should be run. One side has argued that the festival should remain under the leadership of those who have traditionally managed it, while the other has called for responsibility to be handed to people who are currently active in the locality and has sought changes in the way the event is organised.
A committee office-bearer quoted without being named said Bagbazar had traditionally been distinct from pujas centred on individual personalities. Another member argued that the long-running festival required a new approach. Both sides, however, have said that the puja will be held as usual.
The immediate next step is the Calcutta High Court’s reserved judgment on the committee dispute. Until that decision is delivered, the question of who will formally oversee this year’s Bagbazar Durga Puja remains open.
