Jupiter, Saturn 'merge' in rare cosmic event
Kolkata, Dec 21: Space enthusiasts had the opportunity to watch a rare celestial event on Monday evening as the Jupiter and the Saturn appeared to merge and looked like a single bright star, in what is called a conjunction.
People gathered to watch the phenomenon, which took place after about 400 years, on rooftops and open grounds in different parts of Kolkata and West Bengal though the winter fog partially hindered the view.
Hundreds of sky gazers assembled at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in the city as the leading science museum has made an arrangement for them to view the cosmic event at the south-western part of the sky through a telescope, a BITM spokesman said.
The two planets have never been so close since 1623, Director of M P Birla Planetarium, Debi Prasad Duari, said.
He said, "If two celestial bodies visually appear close to each other from the Earth, it is called a conjunction. And such conjunction of the Saturn and the Jupiter is at times called a great conjunction" if it happens once in a lifetime.
The planets will again appear to come as close as this from the Earth on March 15, 2080.
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Calcutta High Court to consider plea against CM Mamata Banerjee's alleged contemptuous remarks
Kolkatta: Senior Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya brought a plea before the Calcutta High Court, urging it to take suo moto cognizance of purported remarks attributed to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The plea contends that Banerjee's comments implied bias on the part of High Court judges and suggested that the institution had been compromised.
These remarks surfaced following a recent ruling by the High Court nullifying approximately 24,000 teaching and non-teaching positions implicated in the notorious cash-for-jobs scandal.
Addressing a division bench comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya, Bhattacharya stressed on the gravity of the situation, asserting, "This is criminal contempt." He further stressed the need for the Court to intervene, given the Attorney General's reluctance to provide consent for proceeding against the Chief Minister.
The plea underscored the damaging effect of Banerjee's alleged statements on the credibility of the judiciary, stating, "Everyone is laughing at us, this has put us into ridicule." Bhattacharya supported his argument with newspaper clippings from various publications, both regional and English, which highlighted the controversial remarks.
Acknowledging the sensitivity of the matter, the Court has directed for affidavits to be filed and has scheduled a hearing accordingly.
Meanwhile, another plea has been filed challenging the same remarks attributed to the Chief Minister.
