The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) granted interim bail to Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the Nandigram Assembly bypolls, who was arrested on September 18 in connection with an FIR filed 19 years ago.

While granting bail, Justice Tirthankar Ghosh observed that Mr.

Pradhan had been taken into custody only after filing his nomination papers and that the cases against him stemmed from the 2007 Nandigram agitation.

The court also noted that the incidents forming the basis of the cases had been investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Justice Ghosh said that Mr.

Pradhan was a political activist who had participated in the 2007 agitation and continued to remain a political worker.

Calcutta HC asks State to allow Congress candidate Milan Pradhan to contest Nandigram bypoll The court granted him interim bail in all cases till October 20, after which the Congress leader will have to surrender before a district court.

The State opposed the plea, submitting that the cases involved allegations of murder and that coercive processes, including warrants, had been issued against him.

Mr.

Pradhan’s counsel argued that his client had been arrested after announcing his candidature and that the State had not placed material before the court demonstrating his involvement in the alleged offences.

The Nandigram Assembly bypoll is scheduled for October 6.

After the candidate from former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Mamata All India Trinamool Congress backed out of the contest, she announced her support for Mr.

Pradhan.

His arrest came hours after Ms.

Banerjee announced her backing for the Congress candidature.

Arrested Congress candidate’s wife asks Opposition to back him In the absence of Mr.

Pradhan, his wife and local Congress leaders had been campaigning in the constituency.

West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar welcomed the High Court order, calling it a victory for truth.

Mamata AITC leader Ajit Maity arrested on extortion charges The Nandigram Assembly seat in Purba Medinipur fell vacant after the Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won from both Bhabanipur and Nandigram in the Assembly election, decided to resign as a Nandigram MLA.

The BJP has fielded Hasirani Rath, mother of Chandranath Rath, a former aide of Mr.

Adhikari, who was killed on May 6.

The contest has emerged as a prestige fight for Mr.

Adhikari, who represented the seat from 2021 to 2026 as Leader of the Opposition.

The Calcutta High Court also granted relief to Ms.

Rath in a case in which a discrepancy in her election affidavit was challenged.

The court set aside the case in which the BJP candidate’s date of matriculation examination qualification preceded her date of birth.