The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on January 12 a plea of union minister of state for home affairs Nisith Pramanik seeking anticipatory bail in an attempt-to-murder case lodged against him in 2018.

A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal issued notice to the West Bengal government and asked senior advocate PS Patwalia, appearing for Pramanik, to serve the copy of the petition on the counsel for the state.

It listed his plea for hearing on Friday.

Pramanik has moved the apex court challenging the January 4 order of the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court by which it had refused to grant him anticipatory bail in the case.

During the brief hearing, Patwalia said, "I am a Member of Parliament. The High Court has refused to grant me protection from arrest. I was earlier with the Trinamool Congress and now I am with BJP. Situation in West Bengal is very volatile, I may be arrested in this case, kindly grant me protection." The bench said his plea is still pending before the high court and why can't he move there.

Patwalia said that the high court has posted the matter for further hearing on January 22 but by then if there is no protection, he may be arrested.

The bench, which had initially agreed to hear Pramanik's petition next week, said it will list the matter on January 12.

An attempt-to-murder case was registered against Pramanik with Dinhata police station of Cooch Behar district of West Bengal in 2018, when a group of people had opened fire on Trinamool Congress workers.

A person was allegedly shot at and injured in the firing. Pramanik, in his plea, said that a magistrate has issued a warrant against him in the case.

Pramanik, who was earlier with the TMC, had joined the BJP in February 2019. He had refuted the allegation of orchestrating the violence.

He had contested the parliamentary polls in 2019 on a BJP ticket and won the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat.

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