HC breather for BJP leader Mukul Roy in payout case

In a relief to BJP leader Mukul Roy, the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the Kolkata Police not to arrest him until further orders in connection with a case of alleged payout for a railway panel membership.

A division bench of Justices S Munshi and Md Nizamuddin granted relief to Roy saying the matter will not appear in the list for hearings and directed the prosecution or the petitioner to mention the matter before it, if required.

The court directed Roy to cooperate with the investigation in the case.

The order came after the prosecution prayed for more time to examine documents and for getting information from central agencies in relation to the case.

Roy was first granted a week-long protection from arrest by the high court on August 29 last year and it was extended from time to time.

The BJP leader moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail in a case of cheating filed by Santu Ganguly, a businessman, against Baban Ghosh, who claims to be a local labour wing leader of the saffron party.

Ganguly alleged in the FIR that Ghosh had taken Roy's name while assuring him membership of a Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee and took a bribe of several lakhs of rupees from him.

Following Ghosh's arrest in the case by the Kolkata Police on August 21, Roy moved the high court seeking anticipatory bail since his name had cropped up in the case.