The Supreme Court on Friday issued an interim order to protect Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and BJP MP from West Bengal Nisith Pramanik from any coercive action until the case involving alleged offences against him such as an attempt to murder, causing grievous hurt, wrongful confinement and violation of the Arms Act is heard by the Calcutta High Court.

A bench comprising Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Pankaj Mithal asked the High Court to hear the matter and dispose it of as expeditiously as possible. The matter is listed for hearing before the High Court on 22 January, 2024.

The bench passed an interim order protecting Pramanik following a request made by the Union Minister’s lawyer senior advocate PS Patwalia.

Pramanik, a Lok Sabha member, who represents the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha constituency, is currently the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs and the Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports.

In his plea, the BJP MP said that he was named as an accused in a case involving alleged charges of attempt to murder, causing grievous hurt, wrongful restraint, and violations under the Arms Act, among others.

Pramanik further said: “In furtherance of political animosity aimed at damaging the petitioner’s (Pramanik) reputation, he has been casually named as an accused in a criminal case under Sections 341, 326, 307, 120B of the Indian Penal Code read with Section 25(1A), 27, 35 of the Arms Act, 1959.”

“Pramanik has been listed as an accused along with 36 others without a single allegation against him in the complaint. According to the chargesheet, no evidence linking him to the alleged crime was established during the investigation. Despite this, the petitioner was wrongly charged in connection with the above offences,” Pramanik said in his petition.

“To the petitioner’s dismay, despite having no material to charge him for the offences mentioned in the chargesheet, the State Investigating Agency straightaway requested for issuance of an arrest warrant to secure his attendance. Vide a non-speaking order dated 05.03.2023, the trial court was pleased to pass a direction for the execution of the warrant till the next date,” Pramanik’s petition said.

Pramanik in his petition also said that the investigating agency has cursorily charged him without placing any evidence which could prove his role in the commission of the alleged crime.

The complaint was lodged before the Dinhata Police Station in August 2018 against 37 accused persons, including the petitioner.