Kolkata, Sep 29 (IANS): A single-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the forthcoming bypoll for Nandigram Assembly Constituency in East Midnapore district of West Bengal, till October 20.
While granting the interim bail to Milan Pradhan, the single-judge Bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh categorically observed that the bail had been granted to ensure that he could contest the bypoll freely like other candidates and take part in the campaign process.
Justice Ghosh also made it clear that the interim bail was in relation to all the six cases registered against him.
Milan was in judicial custody in connection with two old murder cases registered against him in 2007 in relation to the anti-land acquisition movement at Nandigram during the late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Left Front government in West Bengal. The tenure of his judicial custody was till October 5.
The bypolls for Nandigram as well as the Rejinagar Assembly Constituency in Murshidabad district are scheduled on October 6 and the counting of votes will be on October 9.
Although Milan Pradhan was granted interim bail, Justice Ghosh’s Bench imposed a number of restrictions on him. One such condition for the interim bail was that he would have to surrender at a district court in Haldia in East Midnapore district immediately after the election process gets over.
At the same time, he will have to call the relevant police station at 8:30 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. and speak to the Investigating Officer every day during the interim bail period.
Justice Ghosh’s Bench will hear the matter again on October 11, that is just a day after the term of the current interim bail will expire.
Milan 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 the Nandigram bypoll.
The announcement followed the dramatic withdrawal of Trinamool’s candidate, Sanchita Dey Pradhan from the election.
The move was seen as a fresh step towards Opposition unity in the state after Mamata Banerjee’s defeat in the Assembly polls earlier this year.
In those elections, current West Bengal Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari, contested and won simultaneously from Nandigram and Bhabanipur in South Kolkata. He later chose to retain Bhabanipur, necessitating the Nandigram bypoll.
