The Calcutta High Court ordered the transfer of investigation in four cases against Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, to a special investigation team with CBI and state police.
On Friday, Justice Jay Sengupta of the Calcutta High Court revoked the protection granted to Suvendu against action by the state police, while passing judgment in three cases involving the state and the leader of Opposition.
Justice Sengupta ordered the quashing of FIRs registered against Suvendu in 15 cases across the state.
“After the Calcutta High Court order the impediments in taking action against him no longer remains. The police can file FIRs against him and proceed,” said Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, advocate and Trinamool MP from Serampore.
Trinamool spokesperson and formerRajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh said it is a big setback for Suvendu.
A trusted lieutenant of Mamata Banerjee since the Nandigram movement against land acquisition, Suvendu had falling out ahead of the 2021 Assembly elections. A minister in the Mamata cabinet, Suvendu quit the party and joined the BJP.
Since December 2020 for almost five years now, Suvendu has been the Bengal BJP’s most prominent face. In the 2021 elections he had defeated Mamata from the Nandigram seat with a slender margin and was rewarded by the party with the leader of Opposition’s post.
Suvendu had alleged the state government had filed FIRs against him in different police stations across the state to prevent him from carrying out his responsibilities as an elected representative.
In December 2022, Justice Rajasekhar Mantha had granted protection to Suvendu while directing the state police not to register any more FIRs against him without the nod from the high court.
“Most of the FIRs against him have been quashed. We suspect before next year’s Assembly elections the ruling party will try to restrict his movement for political gains,” said Bilwadal Bhattacharya, the counsel for Suvendu.
Suvendu has expressed his desire to contest from Bhowanipore, the seat of Mamata Banerjee, in the upcoming Assembly polls next year.
