Darjeeling, August 21 (Siliguri Chronicle) – The Darjeeling Bar Association on Wednesday announced that judicial magistrate Alakananda Sarkar has issued a written apology for her remarks about the Nepali language.
General secretary of the association, Dinesh Chandra Rai, read out the apology letter during a meeting, confirming that Sarkar had expressed regret over her comments.
“I, Alakananda Sarkar, a member of WBJS, presently posted as Judicial Magistrate at Mungpoo wish to extend my sincere and unconditional apology for the incident that happened on my part to the member of Bar Association, Darjeeling,” the letter signed by Sarkar and released by the association read.
The magistrate acknowledged that her actions may have hurt the sentiments of the association as well as the broader Nepali-speaking community.
“I take full responsible (sic) for the same which had occurred,” said Sarkar.
“However, I had no intention to hurt the sentiment of Nepali Speaking people, if any person or the community got hurt, I am tendering my unconditional apology. The word was casually uttered by me out of my frustration and ill health,” the letter said.
The apology was issued after a meeting attended by members of the Bar Association, the district judge, the additional district and sessions judge (2nd court), the chief judicial magistrate of Darjeeling, and the judicial magistrate of Mungpo.
A day earlier, Bengal law minister Moloy Ghatak had written to the Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court on the matter, following a meeting with Gorkhaland Territorial Administration chief executive Anit Thapa.
In his letter, Ghatak noted that on August 18, the Darjeeling Bar Association had received a representation from the Mungpoo Bar Association.
“…wherein it has been alleged that Smt Alokananda Sarkar, judicial magistrate 1st Class in Mungpoo Court has stated in open Court that She would not allow the use Nepali Language in the Court as well as in the normal communication between the employees of the Court and the legal fraternity as Nepali is a language of Nepal and not of India(sic),” Ghatak said in the letter.
The magistrate said on Wednesday that she had “full knowledge that the Nepali language was recognised by the Constitution and included in the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution……”
Sarkar’s remarks drew widespread condemnation across the hills and from several bar associations.
