India, May 26 -- The Calcutta high court on Tuesday withdrew an interim order that protected Jahangir Khan-- the defeated Trinamool Congress (TMC) candidate from Falta in South 24 Parganas district-- from police action in criminal cases he faces, lawyers who attended the hearing said.

"Justice Partha Sarathi Sen withdrew the interim protection granted to Khan on May 18, days before the May 21 Falta bypoll, and allowed the state to proceed with investigations in seven criminal cases registered at Falta police station," a lawyer said, requesting anonymity.

Khan's lawyers argued that the charges were the fallout of a political vendetta following the TMC's defeat in the assembly polls.

The state's additional solicitor general, Rajdeep Maju...