Kolkata, Sep 24 (SocialNews.XYZ) A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday asked the West Bengal government to allow Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the Nandigram Assembly bypoll in East Midnapore district next month, to contest the election normally like other candidates.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh made a preliminary observation that his bench would be granting interim bail to Pradhan in relation to a 2007 murder case. “I am granting him interim bail. Let him participate in the bypoll. The rest will depend on the fate of the case,” Justice Ghosh said.
He clarified that the court will take the final decision on interim bail after the hearing scheduled for 4 p.m. on Friday.
Pradhan is currently in judicial custody in two cases following orders of district courts in West Bengal. In the 2007 murder case, he was remanded till October 3, while in another case a court sent him to jail till October 5. The court directed that he be produced in person on September 23.
He approached Justice Ghosh’s bench seeking bail in both cases on Wednesday. The matter came up for hearing on Thursday afternoon, after which Justice Ghosh made his observation.
Earlier in the day, another single-judge bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharya barred the state police from booking or taking any further action in any new case against Pradhan till October 12.
Meanwhile, the state government has moved the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court, headed by Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge, challenging the single-judge order. The matter will be heard at the Chief Justice’s bench on Friday.
The bypolls for Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies in West Bengal will be held on October 6, with results to be declared on October 9.
Pradhan was arrested on September 18, hours after former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her Trinamool Congress faction would support the Congress candidate in Nandigram. Banerjee’s announcement came shortly after her faction’s candidate, Sanchita Dey Pradhan, withdrew her nomination.
Milan was arrested in connection with an old murder case registered in 2007 during the anti-land acquisition movement at Nandigram under the Late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Left Front regime.
Source: IANS
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