A division bench of the Calcutta High Court has upheld a previous court order granting interim protection to former West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas until August 17. The protection stems from alleged irregularities during footballer Lionel Messi’s ‘GOAT India Tour’ event in Kolkata last December, which led to chaos and security concerns.
The West Bengal government launched an investigation into the incident, with Biswas being accused of mismanagement during the event. Biswas sought protection from coercive police action, including arrest, from the Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench, which was granted until August 17. The court specified that the police investigation would continue as required by law.
The organizer of the Messi event, Satadru Dutta, challenged the interim protection granted to Biswas before the division bench of the Calcutta High Court. The division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, upheld the interim protection order until August 17. The court considered arguments from both sides regarding the seriousness of the charges and the progress of the investigation.
Biswas’s counsel defended against the challenge, questioning Dutta’s standing to contest the single-judge bench’s order. The court inquired about Biswas’s cooperation with the investigation, to which the state lawyer confirmed his cooperation. Consequently, the protection for Biswas remains in place until August 17, with the next hearing scheduled for July 2.
