Bengal Moves Supreme Court Against Milan Pradhan’s Bail

The West Bengal government has approached the Supreme Court challenging the interim bail granted by the Calcutta High Court to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, who is contesting the Nandigram Assembly bypoll. The state sought an urgent hearing, with Solicitor General Tushar Mehta arguing that the matter involved bail in cases carrying murder allegations and that the election was scheduled for October 6. The Calcutta High Court had granted Pradhan interim bail to enable him to participate in the bypoll.

During the proceedings, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the Supreme Court that delaying the hearing until after the election would serve little practical purpose, given the approaching polling date. The Chief Justice-led bench, however, did not take up the matter for an immediate hearing. The Supreme Court has now agreed to hear the West Bengal government’s plea on October 5, a day before the Nandigram bypoll.