Nandigram Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was denied relief on Monday after the Calcutta High Court deferred the hearing on his bail pleas, despite an earlier indication by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh that interim bail would be granted to enable him to contest the by-election.
Justice Ghosh said the matter would be heard on Tuesday morning, following which the court would issue its order.
Pradhan had approached the High Court seeking bail in multiple cases registered against him in connection with the 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram. His legal team had argued that, as a candidate in the by-election, he needed an urgent hearing on his bail applications.
On Thursday, Justice Ghosh had indicated that he was inclined to grant interim bail to Pradhan to allow him to participate in the election.
“I am granting interim bail. Let him participate in the election. The rest will depend on the fate of the case,” the judge had observed, according to the proceedings cited in the report.
However, the court did not issue a bail order on Friday, when Pradhan's pleas in four cases came up for hearing. He had also sought bail in two additional cases.
The judge had scheduled the hearing on the remaining two pleas for Monday, stating that a decision on interim bail would follow the conclusion of those proceedings. The hearing was subsequently postponed again, leaving Pradhan in custody.
Arrest in 19-year-old cases
Pradhan was arrested from Chandipur in East Midnapore in connection with cases dating back to the 2007 anti-land acquisition agitation in Nandigram.
According to police sources, three cases were registered at Nandigram police station and one at Khejuri police station. The charges reportedly include murder, attempt to murder, unlawful assembly and looting.
The cases relate to the period of protests against land acquisition in 2007, which became a major political flashpoint in West Bengal.
Opposition leaders have alleged that Pradhan's arrest is politically motivated and intended to serve political interests.
