Kolkata, Sept. 21 -- A court in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district on Monday remanded Congress' Nandigram bypoll nominee Milan Pradhan to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a case registered at the Khejuri Police Station 19 years ago.

Pradhan was sent to judicial custody till October 5 by the Contai court, his counsel Ayan Bhattacharjee said, adding that he will challenge the order before the Calcutta High Court.

Pradhan was earlier sent to judicial custody till October 3 by a Haldia court on September 19, a day after his arrest on multiple charges, including murder, that date back to the 2007 Nandigram land agitation.

The orders effectively end Pradhan's opportunity to canvass for himself as the campaign for the October 6 bypoll to the assembly seat, vacated by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, ends on October 4.

Adhikari resigned from the Nandigram seat in May, opting to retain Bhabanipur after defeating Mamata Banerjee in the assembly poll held earlier this year.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.