A single-judge vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court has revoked the interim protection against coercive action, including arrest, that was previously granted to Jahangir Khan, the Trinamool Congress candidate in Falta Assembly constituency. The protection was initially provided by a regular single-judge bench until May 24, the day the results for the repolling in Falta were announced.
During the hearing before Justice Partha Sarathi Sen on Tuesday, it was noted that the interim protection given on May 18 was specifically due to Khan’s candidacy in the Falta repolling on May 21. The court highlighted that Khan had not sought the quashing of seven FIRs filed against him at Falta police station, leading to the withdrawal of the interim safeguard.
The court emphasized that continuing the protection based on assumptions of political vendetta following the change in West Bengal’s political regime would be unjust. Khan had approached the Calcutta High Court on May 18 seeking anticipatory bail due to multiple FIRs related to alleged voters’ intimidation during the regular polling on April 29.
Jahangir Khan, who had announced his withdrawal from the contest before the May 21 repolling, still appeared on the EVM as a candidate. The results of the repoll showed the BJP candidate, Debangshu Panda, securing a significant victory with over 1,00,000 votes, while Khan finished fourth with just 7,783 votes, forfeiting his deposit.
