1 hr ago
Calcutta High Court Grants Bail to Nandigram Congress Candidate
Milan Pradhan is the Congress candidate in an election in Nandigram.
Police arrested him in September in six old cases from 2007.
The cases are connected to violence during the Nandigram land protest.
A court has now allowed him to leave custody temporarily.
This means he can campaign in the election.
He must follow conditions set by the court.
He must pay a bail bond for each case.
He must return to the trial court on October 21.
The election will take place on October 6, before the votes are counted on October 9.
The Calcutta High Court granted Milan Pradhan interim bail in six criminal cases dating to 2007.
Pradhan was arrested on September 18, shortly after Mamata Banerjee announced Trinamool Congress support for his candidacy.
The cases involve allegations including murder, attempted murder and Arms Act violations linked to the Nandigram land agitation.
Pradhan must surrender before the Haldia trial court on October 21 and deposit Rs 20,000 in each case as bail bond.
The Nandigram bypoll is scheduled for October 6, with campaigning ending October 4 and results due October 9.
- Who
- Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the Nandigram bypoll; the Calcutta High Court granted his interim bail.
- What
- The court granted Pradhan interim bail in six 2007 criminal cases, subject to conditions.
- Where
- The case was heard by the Calcutta High Court, and Pradhan must surrender at the Haldia court.
- When
- The bail order was issued on Tuesday; Pradhan was arrested on September 18, and the bypoll is scheduled for October 6.
- Why
- The relief enables Pradhan to contest and campaign in the approaching bypoll while the old cases continue.
Pradhan and Election Access
State and Criminal Proceedings
Timing of the arrest
Pradhan and Election Access
The court noted that Pradhan was not in custody when he filed his nomination and was arrested afterward, and allowed him to campaign before the election.
State and Criminal Proceedings
The state relied on six criminal cases from 2007 and the related warrants in seeking to keep the criminal proceedings active.
Need for interim relief
Pradhan and Election Access
Pradhan sought temporary bail to contest and campaign freely, and the court considered the approaching election.
State and Criminal Proceedings
The state did not, according to the court, produce material showing that Pradhan had been wanted for an offence after 2007; the court also noted that no arrest had occurred after nomination filing in the cases cited.
Key facts
- Candidate
- Milan Pradhan of the Congress
- Bail period
- Interim relief was granted until shortly before the October 21 surrender date; one report describes it as lasting until October 20 and another as lasting until October 21.
- Criminal cases
- Six cases filed in 2007
- Allegations
- Murder, attempted murder and violations of Arms Act provisions
- Arrest date
- September 18
- Election date
- October 6
- Bail condition
- Rs 20,000 bail bond in each of the six cases
- Surrender date
- October 21 before the Haldia trial court
Sources
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