Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed National Investigation Agency (NIA) to forward to the state advocate general a copy of its appeal challenging a lower court order restraining the agency from arresting Chhatradhar Mahato, in connection with the murder of a CPI(M) leader in 2009 in West Midnapore district.
Mahato is a former leader of the Maoist-backed People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA).
A division bench directed that a copy of the papers should be forwarded to the office of the advocate general for the state to be represented in the matter.
The bench comprising justices Sanjib Banerjee and Aniruddha Roy said that the matter will come up for hearing after one week.
A special NIA court here had on November 18 directed Mahato to appear before it on December 18 and had said that the NIA would not arrest him in the meantime.
The agency had moved the special NIA court seeking orders for custodial interrogation of Mahato in connection with the killing of the local CPI(M) leader at Lalgarh, once a hotbed of Maoist activities in Jangalmahal area of West Bengal, in 2009.