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The Supreme Court has granted Lok Sabha MP and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nisith Pramanik's request for protection from arrest in connection with an attempt-to-murder case in West Bengal. The protection will remain until the Calcutta High Court reviews his petition.
Nisith Praminik, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP had approached the Supreme Court, challenging an order of the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court. The order from January 4, had refused to grant him anticipatory bail in the case. The matter was initially to be heard next week, but was moved up to January 12.
Background on the attempt-to murder case
An attempt-to-murder case was registered against the minister of state in 2018, when a group opened fire on Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers during panchayat elections. During the violent outbreak, one person was allegedly shot and injured. The case against Pramanik was filed with Dinhata police station of Cooch Behar district of West Bengal for being involved in inciting the violence. At the time, Pramanik had been a member of the TMC party.
Pramanik has refuted allegations of orchestrating the violence.
In 2019, Pramanik joined the BJP party, contesting and securing the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat.
Union Minister of State Pramanik's plea
Senior Advocate PS Patwalia, on Thursday, argued before a bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal to grant the Union minister interim protection from arrest in West Bengal.
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Advocate Patwalia explained that as a minister, Pramanik had to go to West Bengal and was worried about his safety and his imminent arrest. In March 2022, an arrest warrant for Pramanik was issued by a magistrate in the state. Additionally, as Pramanik switched parties, his lawyer argued that the Union minister's protection was a matter of great urgency, as the political environment in West Bengal was "volatile".
"He has a ministerial position. It becomes embarrassing if he is arrested," Pramanik's senior counsel added.
Representing the West Bengal government, Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan argued to the bench that there were 13 cases of attempt-to-murder and rioting pending against Pramanik and that he could have been arrested long back.
The Supreme Court granted Pramanik protection, noting the urgency of the plea, and ordered the West Bengal police not to take any coercive action against the Union Minister of State. The interim protection will be in place till January 22, when the high court will hear the case.
The Supreme Court added that it was not expressing any opinion on the merit of the attempt-to-murder case itself and left that in the hands of the Calcutta High Court.
(With agency inputs)
