The Association for Protection of Democratic Rights has filed a petition in Calcutta High Court against the denial of permission to participate in the 2025 Kolkata Book Fair.
The single-judge Bench of Justice Amrita Sinha will hear the petition.
As per the petitioners, they have consistently exhibited at the International Kolkata Book Fair. They submitted an application to Publishers 8 Booksellers Guild, furnishing the requested particulars, to obtain a stall for displaying their publications at the 48th International Kolkata Book Fair 2025.
After repeated attempts to clarify the participation status through in-person visits to the publishers & booksellers office and numerous phone calls, the President and the Secretary verbally informed the petitioner that the International Kolkata Book Fair did not accommodate organisations.
The petitioner alleged that respondent No. 1, the entity responsible for organising the Annual International Kolkata Book Fair, via informal communication on January 3, 2025, erroneously and arbitrarily rejected the writ petitioner’s application filed on October 4, 2024 for participating by setting up a book stall of approximately 100 square feet, despite the petitioner being a regular participant of the same.
Aggrieved by this, the petitioner filed the present writ petition.