Calcutta High Court grants Nandigram Congress candidate interim bail
HC grants relief until 20 October so Pradhan can campaign, subject to conditions including his surrender the following day
The Calcutta High Court granted Congress candidate Milan Pradhan interim bail until 20 October in six cases
The order allows him to campaign ahead of the 6 October Nandigram bypoll; he has been directed to surrender at a Haldia court on 21 October
Pradhan was arrested on 18 September in connection with cases dating to the 2007 Nandigram land agitation
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan in six cases, allowing him to campaign for the Nandigram Assembly by poll on 6 October.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh granted the relief until 20 October so that Pradhan could participate in the election campaign. The court-imposed conditions on his release, including a direction to surrender at the Haldia court on 21 October.
Pradhan must also contact the relevant police station twice a day and speak to the investigating officer during the interim bail period, according to the account of the order provided. The bypoll will be held on 6 October, with votes counted on 9 October.
Pradhan was arrested on 18 September in connection with criminal cases dating to the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram. He had remained in judicial custody, leaving his ability to campaign in question. The high court had earlier indicated that he should be able to contest the election if he secured bail in the cases in which he had been arrested.
His arrest came hours after former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her Trinamool Congress faction would support his candidacy. The announcement followed the withdrawal of her faction’s candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey.
The Nandigram seat fell vacant after chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in this year’s assembly election, chose to retain Bhabanipur.
With IANS inputs