Kolkata [India], September 29 (ANI): The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted interim bail to Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate from Nandigram, in all six cases registered against him in Nandigram and Khejuri.
Pradhan's lawyer had moved the High Court seeking bail in connection with the six cases.
Advocate Ashfak Ahmad told ANI that the State strongly opposed the bail plea, but the defence argued that one of the cases was 19 years old and related to the Nandigram movement.
"All six cases against him have resulted in bail. He has been granted interim bail, which will remain valid until October 28, with certain conditions. There was strong opposition from the State, but our argument was that one of the cases was 19 years old and had arisen from a movement," Ahmad said.
Ahmad further alleged that the action was aimed at preventing Pradhan from campaigning in the Nandigram by-election.
"The government is afraid of Congress. If the Congress candidate gets a significant margin, the atmosphere of vote theft will be exposed. So, to prevent vote theft from being exposed, they wanted to frighten the Congress candidate so much that he could not campaign and democracy could be weakened," he said.
Ahmad alleged that action was taken against Pradhan in the 19-year-old case despite others associated with the movement, including BJP leaders, being named in similar cases.
"After that, in one of the cases related to the same movement, BJP people are also involved, and the present Chief Minister is also named in those cases. Yet, after 19 years, the police took action against him. This means it was a political vendetta," he said.
West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar, on his interim bail, said that "honesty has won".
Speaking to ANI, he said, "The legal system which we have, the respect Congress has, the honour it has. Honesty has won. The fight was against the injustice with the Congress," Sarkar said.
"Milan Pradhan became a Congress candidate and was arrested. Those who were involved in the case became CM while some are roaming outside," he said.
"Everyone was so afraid that he was arrested and the money was spent to stop the bail," Sarkar said.
"This was not a legal battle; it was a battle of self-confidence, the respect of WB," he added.
"The Congress will always try to contest a free and fair election, through which the elected candidate will become MP, MLA," Sarkar said.
"Nobody can defeat Pradhan in the Nandigram by-election," he added.
Earlier on Sunday, Congress leaders, including West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president Shubhankar Sarkar, held a campaign march in Nandigram in support of Pradhan ahead of the Nandigram Assembly by-election.
As Pradhan remained in jail, his wife Arpita Pradhan campaigned on his behalf along with several Congress leaders and workers, appealing to voters to support her husband.
Speaking during the campaign, Arpita Pradhan said that Milan Pradhan had been associated with the Congress since his college days and alleged that he was imprisoned on false charges to prevent him from contesting the election.
“My state of mind is far from good. He was chosen because he has been associated with the Congress party and has loved the party since his college days. He had many friends who joined other parties for the sake of money. Now that he is contesting the election, he has been imprisoned based on false charges. The sole reason for this is to prevent him from running in the election,” she said.
“Since my husband is in jail, I consider it my duty to stand by him and campaign on his behalf,” she added.
Arpita Pradhan also said that Milan Pradhan had been at the forefront of the land eviction movement in Nandigram and was actively involved in the agitation. She alleged that he and several of his friends were implicated in false cases at the time.
“He was at the forefront of the land eviction movement in Nandigram and was actively involved in the agitation. Milan Babu was implicated in false cases at that time, as were many of his friends. Today, those very friends have become powerful figures in society; some have even become Chief Ministers. They are all moving about freely, yet my husband remains in prison. What kind of justice is this?” she said.
The Calcutta High Court's interim bail order comes ahead of the Nandigram Assembly by-election, for which Pradhan is the Congress candidate. (ANI)
Calcutta HC grants interim bail to Congress' Nandigram by-poll candidate Milan Pradhan in six cases
