Rail panel case: Calcutta HC extends interim protection from arrest to Mukul Roy till Nov 8

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday extended interim protection from arrest to BJP leader Mukul Roy in a case of alleged payout for a railway panel membership till November 8.

A division bench comprising justices S Munshi and S Dasgupta adjourned the hearing of Roy's plea till November 5 on a prayer by the West Bengal government.

Appearing for the state, public prosecutor Saswata Mukherjee told the court that the police have collected documents and materials relevant to the case and need time to verify these.

The division bench then said it will hear the matter after the Durga Puja vacation on November 5 and extended interim protection from arrest to Roy till November 8.

Roy was first granted a week-long protection from arrest by the high court on August 29 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 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.