Cal HC grants anticipatory bail to TMC MLA, 2 others over 'murder' of BJP supporter

Kolkata, Aug 21 (PTI) The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to Trinamool Congress MLA Paresh Paul and two other party leaders in connection with a CBI probe into the alleged murder of a BJP supporter in post-poll violence after the 2021 West Bengal assembly polls.

Justice Jay Sengupta directed that in the event of arrest, "the petitioners will be released on bail upon furnishing a bond of Rs one lakh with two sureties of like amount each, one of whom must be local".

The court directed Paul and the two others not to threaten witnesses or enter the street where the mother and brother of the victim reside, till the completion of the trial.

Justice Sengupta also directed Paul not to give any provocative speech, especially concerning the family members of deceased Abhijit Sarkar, who was allegedly murdered near his residence following the 2021 assembly elections.

The petitioners were also ordered not to leave the country without permission of the trial court, and to attend court on dates of hearing of the matter.

The high court granted anticipatory bail to Paul and the two other petitioners, considering that although most of the evidence against them were available to the CBI at the time of filing of the first supplementary charge sheet, the central agency probing the case had chosen not to make them accused in it.

It noted that the CBI filed a second supplementary charge sheet over such materials after about four years from the date of their first charge sheet, and that the petitioners had cooperated with the investigation in the meantime. PTI AMR RBT