- Calcutta High Court granted interim bail to Congress candidate.
- Pradhan can now contest the upcoming Nandigram bypoll.
- Court questioned arrest timing, citing old 2007 cases.
Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, who is contesting the Nandigram Assembly bypoll in West Bengal, has received interim relief from the Calcutta High Court. The court granted him interim bail for three weeks, till October 21, allowing him to remain out of custody ahead of the October 6 bypoll.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh observed that Pradhan was taken into custody only after he had filed his nomination papers. The court also noted that the cases in which he was arrested date back to the 2007 Nandigram agitation.
The court said Pradhan should be given an opportunity to contest the election and directed that he be released on interim bail.
Court Questions Timing Of Arrest
While hearing Pradhan’s plea, the court noted that he was not in custody when he submitted his nomination papers and was arrested afterwards.
According to the court’s observations, the cases against Pradhan relate to the 2007 Nandigram movement. The court also noted that the state had not placed material showing that Pradhan had been wanted in connection with any offence committed after 2007.
Senior Advocate Milan Mukherjee appeared for Pradhan, while Additional Advocate General Rajdeep Majumdar represented the West Bengal government.
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Mamata Banerjee Had Backed Pradhan
Pradhan’s relief comes amid the political contest for the Nandigram seat, where the Congress candidate has received support from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The seat was earlier set to see candidates from the BJP, Congress, the TMC faction led by Mamata Banerjee and another TMC faction led by Ritabrata. Mamata Banerjee’s party candidate Sanchita Pradhan subsequently withdrew her candidature after meeting Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Mamata Banerjee then announced her support for Milan Pradhan. Pradhan was arrested by police on September 18 in connection with old cases linked to the 2007 Nandigram agitation.
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Nandigram Bypoll On October 6
The Nandigram Assembly seat fell vacant after Suvendu Adhikari, who had won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the state elections, chose to retain Bhabanipur.
The Nandigram bypoll is scheduled for October 6, with counting set for October 9. The constituency remains politically significant, with Adhikari having defeated Mamata Banerjee from Nandigram in the 2021 Assembly election.
With the High Court granting interim bail, Pradhan has now been allowed to remain out of custody during the period covered by the court’s order and participate in the election campaign.
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