Kolkata, April 16 -- The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted interim protection to Trinamool Congress candidate Pabitra Kar, just a week before the first phase of the West Bengal Assembly Election 2026, restraining the police from taking any coercive action against him in a criminal case.
Hearing the matter, Justice Ajay Kumar Mukherjee said that while the investigation may continue, no arrest or stringent steps can be taken against the candidate at this stage.
The case arises from a complaint filed on April 7 by a Nandigram resident, Buddhadeb Giri, who alleged that Kar and his associates assaulted him on April 6 and forced him to raise political slogans. The complainant further alleged that Rs 3,700 was snatched from him after he refused.
Kar moved the court on April 10 seeking quashing of the FIR, claiming that the case was politically motivated and aimed at harassing him ahead of the election.
The order comes as a relief to the ruling TMC in the high-stakes Nandigram constituency. Kar, once considered a close aide of BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, had recently rejoined the Trinamool under Abhishek Banerjee and was fielded from the politically crucial seat.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.