Archive · 11 Sep 2026
Calcutta High Court Questions Failure to Trace Suspended BDO
A court is questioning why police have not found Prasanta Barman.
Barman is a suspended government officer accused of killing a jewellery trader.
The Supreme Court rejected his request for protection from arrest.
It also directed him to surrender to the police.
He did not surrender at the police station.
The High Court said it was difficult to believe that police could not find him.
The state said officers were trying their best to locate him.
The High Court gave the state three weeks to explain the delay.
The Calcutta High Court criticized the state CID for failing to locate suspended BDO Prasanta Barman.
Barman is accused of murdering a jewellery trader in New Town.
The Supreme Court had rejected Barman’s anticipatory bail plea and directed him to surrender.
Barman did not surrender before the concerned police station, according to the report.
The High Court gave the state three weeks to explain in an affidavit why Barman had not been arrested.
- Who
- The Calcutta High Court, the state CID, suspended BDO Prasanta Barman, and lawyers representing the state and Barman.
- What
- The High Court criticized the CID for not tracing or arresting Barman and ordered the state to explain the failure.
- When
- The hearing took place on Thursday, with the state given three weeks to file its affidavit.
- Where
- The matter was heard in the Calcutta High Court; the alleged murder occurred in New Town.
- Why
- The court sought an explanation because Barman allegedly did not surrender after the Supreme Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea and directed him to do so.
High Court’s Concerns
State and Defence Responses
Failure to locate Barman
High Court’s Concerns
Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty questioned how a government employee receiving a salary could remain untraced and suggested that Barman might be influential.
State and Defence Responses
The state’s lawyer said the police were trying their best to locate him.
Next legal step
High Court’s Concerns
The High Court ordered the state to file an affidavit explaining why Barman had not been arrested and said it did not want excuses.
State and Defence Responses
Barman’s lawyer said his client wanted to file a supplementary affidavit.
- Accused
- Prasanta Barman, a suspended BDO
- Allegation
- Murder of a jewellery trader
- Location of alleged murder
- New Town
- Supreme Court action
- Rejected Barman’s anticipatory bail application and directed him to surrender
- High Court concern
- Police have not traced or arrested Barman
- State response
- The police are trying their best to find him
- Deadline
- Three weeks to submit an explanatory affidavit