Calcutta High Court Withdraws Arrest Protection for Milan Pradhan

A Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court withdrew interim protection from arrest for Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the Nandigram Assembly Constituency bypoll. The ruling, delivered Friday by Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge and Justice Om Narayan Rai, vacated a previous order from a single-judge Bench that had barred West Bengal police from registering new cases against Pradhan until October 12.

The West Bengal government challenged the initial protection, leading the Chief Justice to state that contesting an election does not exempt a candidate from the law and that no distinction exists between VIPs and common people. Pradhan is currently in judicial custody for two separate cases, with detention periods lasting until October 3 and October 5.

Pradhan was arrested on September 18, shortly after Mamata Banerjee announced that her Trinamool Congress faction would support the Congress candidate in Nandigram following the withdrawal of Sanchita Dey Pradhan's nomination. Bypolls for Nandigram and Rejinagar are scheduled for October 6, with results expected on October 9.