A crucial hearing is set at Calcutta High Court’s single-judge bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharya regarding Jahangir Khan, the Trinamool Congress candidate in Falta Assembly constituency. The interim protection granted to Khan against police action, including arrest, ended on May 24, coinciding with the repolling results announcement on the same day.
Several FIRs were filed against Khan for alleged voters’ intimidation before and during the regular polling day on April 29. Seeking anticipatory bail, Khan approached the High Court on May 18, leading to Justice Bhattacharya granting him protection from coercive police measures until May 24.
The court had fixed May 26 as the next hearing date after the initial plea on May 18. The upcoming hearing is expected to take place either towards the end of the first half or the beginning of the second half of the court session on Tuesday. The decision on extending Khan’s interim protection remains pending.
Jahangir Khan made headlines by announcing his withdrawal from the contest just before the May 21 repolling, citing support for the new Chief Minister’s development initiatives for Falta. Despite the symbolic withdrawal, Khan’s name remained on the EVM during the repolling.
Following the declaration of results for the Falta repoll on May 24, BJP candidate Debangshu Panda secured a significant victory with a margin exceeding 1,00,000 votes. Khan, who finished fourth with 7,783 votes, lost his deposit, while the CPI(M) candidate, Sambhunath Kumri, secured the second position.
