Calcutta High Court grants bail to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan for Nandigram by-poll campaign

A Calcutta High Court bench headed by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh granted Milan Pradhan interim bail until October 20, clearing the way for his participation in the Nandigram by-polls. Pradhan, a Congress candidate, had been in judicial custody since his September 18 arrest on multiple murder charges dating back to 2007. His lawyers said the bail covers all six pending cases, overturning earlier orders from lower courts in Contai and Haldia that had extended his detention to October 7.

The court noted the unusual delay in prosecuting a 2007 case, a point highlighted by Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya. Political heavyweight Mamata Banerjee, heading the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, announced support for Pradhan after her original candidate, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew. The by-polls, scheduled for October 6 with results due on October 9, were necessitated by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's decision to retain the Bhabanipur constituency, leaving Nandigram vacant. In a related ruling, a bench led by Justice Krishna Rao dismissed a challenge to BJP candidate Hasi Rani Rath's nomination affidavit.