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Supreme Court Upholds Bail for Nabanna Abhijan Organizer, West Bengal Government's Plea Dismissed
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the West Bengal Government’s plea challenging the Calcutta High Court’s decision to grant bail to Sayan Lahiri, a key organizer of the August 27 ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally. This rally was held to protest against the rape and murder of a 31-year-old PGT doctor at Kolkata’s R G Kar Medical College and Hospital.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra ruled that, 'prima facie,' a case for bail had been made out for Lahiri, leading to the dismissal of the West Bengal government's plea.
The Calcutta High Court had granted bail to Lahiri on Friday, noting that he appeared to be an insignificant figure in the larger context of the protest. Justice Amrita Sinha emphasized that granting bail was crucial to restoring public faith in the judiciary. The state Advocate General, Kishore Dutta, had argued against bail, claiming that Lahiri's inflammatory speeches had exacerbated the protest and led to a breakdown in law and order.
Lahiri was detained on August 27 following a complaint from the Sub Inspector of New Market Police Station. The complaint alleged that Lahiri and around 150 protestors had unlawfully assembled at the Dorina Crossing, blocked roads,disrupted normal activities, leading to violence and property damage, and injuring several policemen. Following a plea from Lahiri’s mother, Anjali Lahiri, to quash the proceedings and grant bail, the Calcutta High Court ordered his release by 2 pm on Saturday. Anjali Lahiri argued that her son had been falsely implicated in multiple FIRs. Lahiri was released from custody around 1:41 pm.
The Nabanna Abhijan rally, initiated from College Square in Kolkata and extending to the Santragachi area in Howrah, was organized by Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj. The organizers of the rally claimed to be an apolitical students organisation. However, links between the organisers and ABVP surfaced later. The rally was part of widespread protests following the rape and murder of the female doctor at R G Kar Medical College. In response to the case, the Calcutta High Court had ordered the transfer of the investigation from the Kolkata Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on August 13. The CBI commenced its investigation on August 14.
