The Calcutta High Court has provided interim protection to former West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas until August 17, under specific conditions. Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya emphasized that the investigating agency will proceed with the inquiry in accordance with the law. If any notice is issued, Biswas must comply by appearing before the agency, which must give a minimum of 48 hours’ notice.
Additionally, the High Court has mandated that Aroop Biswas must actively assist in the investigation. Failure to respond to the notice may prompt the police to involve the court. Moreover, Biswas has been instructed to surrender his passport to a lower court within a week and is prohibited from leaving his residential area without court permission.
The case pertains to alleged irregularities during Lionel Messi’s ‘GOAT India Tour’ event at Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake on December 13 last year. The court noted that while the event ran smoothly in other cities, chaos ensued in Kolkata, tarnishing the city’s reputation. Granting protection, the court stressed, does not diminish the gravity of the accusations.
During the hearing, questions were raised about Biswas’ alleged association with Messi and the circumstances surrounding the Kolkata disruption. The court queried why chaos unfolded in Kolkata when the event proceeded without incident in three other cities. Notably, it was revealed in court that Biswas had obtained 22,000 tickets for individuals in his Assembly constituency out of the 70,000 tickets issued by the main event organizer, Satadru Dutta.
Satadru Dutta’s lawyer informed the court that Biswas distributed these tickets to various clubs. The court directed the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate to conduct an unbiased investigation into the incident to ascertain the reasons behind the event mismanagement. A report on the investigation is expected to be submitted within four weeks.
Former state minister Aroop Biswas had sought protection from potential arrest in the Messi case, fearing legal action. His counsel, Kishore Dutta, highlighted this concern to the High Court, leading to the application for safeguarding measures. An FIR was lodged by the police based on a complaint from Satadru Dutta, the primary organizer of Lionel Messi’s event at Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake, accusing Biswas and others.
