Kolkata, Sept. 25 -- Calcutta High Court Justice Saugata Bhattacharya on Friday recused himself from hearing a plea by Birbhum stone-quarry owner Tulu Mondal alias Mohammad Nazibuddin, who is facing arrest in connection with a case pending before a district court.
Mondal is seeking interim protection from coercive police action, including his arrest under a warrant issued by the district court. The matter will now be placed before Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge.
The recusal came days after Justice Bhattacharya dismissed another petition filed by Mondal seeking interim protection from arrest.
The earlier order was passed after the court considered the circumstances surrounding the warrant issued against him.
With Justice Bhattacharya stepping aside, the High Court will have to assign the fresh plea to another bench. The recusal itself does not amount to any finding on the allegations against Mondal.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.