The Supreme Court on Friday directed the West Bengal police to refrain from taking any coercive measures against Union Minister of State for Home, Nisith Pramanik, in connection with a 2018 attempt to murder case.
A bench comprising Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal ordered the listing of his petition challenging the arrest warrant issued against him in the case before the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court on January 22. The bench specified that no coercive action should be taken until the high court addresses the matter.
“I am a Member of Parliament. The high court has refused to grant me relief and posted my matter for January 22. I may be arrested if no protection is granted to me,” said senior advocate PS Patwalia, representing Pramanik, during the brief hearing. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for the West Bengal government, stated that 13 cases of attempt to murder and rioting are pending against Pramanik, and he could have been arrested earlier.
Sankaranarayanan assured the bench that no coercive action would be taken against Pramanik and suggested that instead of approaching the apex court, he could have brought up the matter before the chief justice of the Calcutta High Court for an early listing before January 22. Patwalia argued that, being a union minister, Pramanik should receive protection until January 22.
The bench, while granting protection, clarified that it had not expressed any opinion on the merit of the case. It directed the high court to hear the matter on January 22 and dispose of Pramanik’s petition as expeditiously as possible. On Thursday, the Supreme Court had agreed to hear Pramanik’s plea for anticipatory bail in the case and issued notice to the West Bengal government.
Pramanik moved the apex court challenging the January 4 order of the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the high court, which had denied him anticipatory bail in the case. The attempt-to-murder case was registered against Pramanik at the Dinhata police station of Cooch Behar district, West Bengal, in 2018, when a group fired at Trinamool Congress workers, injuring one person. Formerly associated with the TMC, Pramanik joined the BJP in February 2019, refuting allegations of orchestrating the violence. He contested and won the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Cooch Behar on a BJP ticket.
