Kolkata, September 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday declined to intervene in a petition filed by Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the upcoming Nandigram Assembly bypoll, seeking protection from coercive action in five cases registered against him in 2007.
Pradhan is already in judicial custody in two other cases following separate orders by a district court in West Bengal. In one murder case registered in 2007, he was remanded to judicial custody till October 3, while in another case, the court sent him to custody till October 5.
The district court has also directed the police to produce Pradhan physically before it on September 23.
Through his counsel, Pradhan approached the single-judge bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya seeking interim protection from coercive police action, including arrest, in five cases dating back to 2007. The cases relate to the land acquisition movement in Nandigram during the Left Front government led by the late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.
The matter came up for hearing on Tuesday afternoon. After a brief hearing, Justice Bhattacharyya declined to intervene, observing that no direction from the High Court was required in the five cases.
During the hearing, Pradhan’s counsel, Ayan Bhattacharya, argued that the manner in which his client was arrested in a 19-year-old case, particularly ahead of the Nandigram bypoll, indicated an attempt by the state administration to destabilise the democratic process.
State counsel and Additional Advocate General Rajdeep Majumdar, however, submitted that Pradhan’s arrest followed instructions to execute all long-standing non-bailable arrest warrants before the bypolls.
The Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly bypolls in Murshidabad district are scheduled for October 6, with counting to take place on October 9.
Pradhan was arrested on the evening of September 18, hours after former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the faction of the Trinamool Congress led by her would support the Congress candidate in Nandigram.
The announcement came shortly after the faction’s candidate, Sanchita Dey Pradhan, withdrew her nomination from the constituency.
Pradhan’s arrest, the pending cases and his judicial custody have since emerged as significant issues in the Nandigram bypoll contest.
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