The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Congress candidate for the West Bengal assembly by-elections from the Nandigram constituency, Milan Pradhan, till October 20.
“A bench of justice Tirthankar Ghosh granted interim bail to Pradhan till October 20 in all the six cases. He will now be able to campaign for the bypolls,” Ajitesh Pandey, Pradhan’s advocate said. The high court judge also directed Pradhan to deposit a ₹20,000 bail bond in each of the six criminal cases for which he was arrested.
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Pradhan was arrested on September 18 in murder cases dating back to 2007- four registered at Nandigram police station and two more in neighbouring Khejuri, and was in judicial remand. Earlier this week, two lower courts at Contai and Haldia in East Midnapore sent him to judicial custody till October 7.
Passing the interim bail order, justice Ghosh said the magistrate of the trial court concerned would decide on appropriate steps after considering the cases against him.
{{/usCountry}}Passing the interim bail order, justice Ghosh said the magistrate of the trial court concerned would decide on appropriate steps after considering the cases against him.
{{/usCountry}}Mamata Banerjee, who now heads one of the factions of the Trinamool Congress—the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress—had earlier extended support to the Congress candidate after her own candidate Sanchita Pradhan Dey withdrew her nomination.
The by-election in Nandigram was necessitated after West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the May assembly polls, decided to retain the latter seat. The ECI has announced bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar on October 6. Results will be declared on October 9.
The campaigning will conclude on October 4. The Calcutta high court had earlier said Pradhan should be allowed to contest the Nandigram bypolls properly provided he gets bail in the cases in which he was arrested.
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In a separate development, a bench of justice Krishna Rao dismissed a Congress plea against BJP’s Nandigram candidate Hasi Rani Rath, alleging discrepancies in nomination affidavit.