New Delhi: The Supreme Court Friday directed the West Bengal police to not take any coercive action against Union Minister of State for Home Nisith Pramanik, in a 2018 attempt to murder case. A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal said no coercive steps should be taken against the petitioner till the matter is heard by the High Court.
The bench noted that the petitioner's counsel contended that the next date when the circuit bench at Jalpaiguri is on January 22. The state government counsel assured that no arrest would be made till then and urged the court to not record it in the order.
On January 11, Pramanik's counsel had contended before the court that his client is a Member of Parliament and the High Court declined to grant him protection from arrest. The counsel submitted that earlier he was with the Trinamool Congress and now he is with the BJP, and stressed that he may be arrested in the case and urged the court to grant him protection. The bench said that his plea was still pending before the High Court and asked why couldn’t he move there.
The apex court was informed that the High Court will examine the matter on January 22, and in the meanwhile, there is a possibility that police may arrest Pramanik. After hearing submissions, the apex court has scheduled the matter for hearing on January 12.
Pramanik has moved the top court challenging the January 4 order of the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court by which it had refused to grant him anticipatory bail in the case.
An attempt-to-murder case was registered against Pramanik at Dinhata police station of Cooch Behar district of West Bengal in 2018 when a group of people had opened fire on Trinamool Congress workers. A person was allegedly shot at and injured in the firing.
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