Before the West Bengal elections, a major legal and institutional debate is unfolding across courtrooms in the state and beyond. The Mamata Banerjee government has faced a series of judicial setbacks in recent years, including disputes over dearness allowance, the school recruitment scam involving over 25,000 cancelled appointments, and ongoing litigation around OBC classification. However, lawyers at the Calcutta High Court suggest the issue is not limited to case outcomes. They highlight broader concerns around governance practices, coordination gaps between departments, and legal strategies that often appear reactive rather than cohesive. The situation escalated after the Mothabari incident in Malda, where judicial officers engaged in election-related duties were allegedly held hostage. The Supreme Court termed it a serious challenge to judicial authority and ordered a central agency probe into the matter. The ongoing SIR voter issue has further intensified legal scrutiny, with the Supreme Court emphasising safeguards to prevent wrongful exclusion of voters. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s personal appearance before the Supreme Court in the SIR matter underscored the political and legal significance of the dispute. At a broader level, India continues to face a massive judicial backlog, with nearly 5 crore pending cases in lower courts, highlighting systemic challenges that go beyond any single state or government. The emerging concern among legal observers is whether institutional functioning, across government, judiciary, and enforcement, is becoming increasingly strained under political and administrative pressure.