2024 Protest Case: Delhi Court Exempts TMC Leaders From Personal Appearance

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A Delhi court on Wednesday exempted several Trinamool Congress leaders from appearing in person for a case stemming from a protest held last April outside the Election Commission of India.

The demonstration, which violated Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, led to an FIR and subsequent summons for those involved.

Exemption Granted To 8 Leaders

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Neha Mittal approved the application by defence counsel, granting relief to eight TMC functionaries.

Those excused from personal attendance on Wednesday include- Derek O’Brien, Sagarika Ghose, Saket Gokhale, Santanu Sen, Dola Sen, Nadimul Haque, Arpita Ghosh, Abir Ranjan Bishwas, Sudip Raha.

The judge directed these leaders to appear on May 13, the next scheduled hearing.

Fresh Summons & Bail Bond Direction

During the brief hearing, Magistrate Mittal noted the presence of TMC leader Vivek Gupta. She ordered him to file a bail bond and appear on the next date of hearing. Additionally, fresh summons were issued to Santanu Sen after earlier notices “returned unserved”.

Earlier, on April 21, the court had summoned ten accused individuals in connection with the protest.

Case Background

According to Delhi Police, on April 8 last year, a group of TMC leaders assembled outside the ECI’s main gate. Despite prohibitory orders under Section 144, they displayed placards and banners and continued their demonstration even after being informed of the restriction. The police subsequently registered an FIR against the participants.

The protest was organised by a ten-member TMC delegation following their meeting with the ECI’s full bench. The leaders demanded the removal of the chiefs of various central investigative agencies—including the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), National Investigation Agency (NIA), Enforcement Directorate (ED), and the Income Tax Department.

TMC’s Allegations

The TMC has repeatedly accused these agencies of targeting opposition figures under directives from the BJP-led Union government. In their statement, the party described the protest as a necessary step to highlight what they termed “vindictive politics” by the Centre. They argued that the agencies had exceeded their mandate and were being used as instruments of political vendetta.

The personal appearance of the 8 exempted leaders is on May 13.

Next Hearing

Vivek Gupta to file bail bond; Santanu Sen to respond to fresh summons.

The court’s decision to grant temporary relief reflects routine judicial practice in cases where defence counsel requests exemption, provided there is no risk of witness tampering or flight. The matter now awaits the next hearing, where the submissions on bail and other procedural aspects will be considered.