Turning down the West Bengal government’s request for a hearing before the Nandigram by-election, the Supreme Court has refused to urgently list the State’s challenge to the interim bail granted to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, with the Chief Justice remarking that the Court would dismiss the plea but would do so on Monday.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday, September 30, declined to list for urgent hearing a plea by the West Bengal Police against the Calcutta High Court’s order granting interim bail to Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate in the Nandigram Assembly by-election, and indicated that the matter could be taken up on Monday.
The matter was mentioned before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.
What happened in court
Appearing for the State, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought listing on Thursday, October 1, since Friday is a holiday for Gandhi Jayanti. He submitted that interim bail had been granted in a murder case and that the challenge would become infructuous if not heard before the by-election.
The Chief Justice declined and said the matter could be listed on Monday. When the Solicitor General pressed for an earlier date in view of the polling schedule, the CJI orally remarked:
“We can assure we will dismiss it, but will dismiss on Monday.”
The request for listing on Thursday was accordingly refused.
The High Court’s order
On September 29, Justice Tirthankar Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court granted Pradhan three weeks’ interim bail, till October 21, to enable him to contest and campaign in the October 6 by-election. Pradhan had been arrested after filing his nomination, in connection with cases arising out of the 2007 Nandigram agitation.
The High Court noted that Pradhan was not in custody when he filed his nomination, that the State had produced no material showing he was wanted for any offence after 2007, that the cases relied on had been investigated by the CBI, and that the police had had close to 19 years to execute the warrants. The State had opposed bail, citing allegations including murder, the coercive processes issued against him and a risk of witness influence. Pradhan’s counsel argued that he was arrested only after announcing his candidature and that the State had shown no material on his role in the alleged offences.
The allegations against Pradhan in the 2007 cases remain untested, and he is entitled to the presumption of innocence.
Case Title: State of West Bengal v. Milan Pradhan
Bench: Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Supreme Court of India
Date: September 30, 2026 (mentioning)
Appearance: Solicitor General Tushar Mehta for the State of West Bengal