Calcutta High Court on Friday declined to stay its earlier order that restrained the Bengal government from lodging any FIR against leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari without prior permission from the court.

The single bench of Justice Jay Sengupta, however, said the state had the liberty to lodge an FIR in connection with the Asansol stampede case against Adhikari, but the high court’s permission was needed for it.

The restriction on lodging any FIR against Adhikari had been imposed by the single bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha.

Following the stampede, the government approached the Supreme Court against the order. But the Supreme Court asked the state to approach the high court with the plea.

The High Court Chief Justice assigned the case to Justice Sengupta.

While commenting on the state government’s demand for a permanent stay on Justice Mantha’s order, Justice Sengupta said, “There is no urgency in the issue. The court can hear it later.”

He then postponed the hearing of the case by three weeks. The case is likely to be heard in the first week of January, after the court’s Christmas break.

Earlier this month, following Adhikari’s prayer accusing the ruling Trinamul of harassing him with a number of criminal cases, Justice Mantha had issued an order staying all proceedings drawn up against the BJP leader by Bengal police. He had also restrained the police from lodging any fresh FIR against Adhikari without the nod of the court.

But after three persons were killed at a stampede during a programme to distribute free blankets in Asansol on Wednesday, the state felt it necessary to lodge an FIR against Adhikari, who was chief guest at the event organised by the BJP.

Anubrata case

The bail petition moved by Anubrata Mondal, chief of the Birbhum district unit of the Trinamul Congress who is in jail following his arrest by the CBI in connection with the cattle-smuggling case, came up for hearing before a division bench of Calcutta High Court headed by Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Friday.

After hearing both parties, Justice Bagchi asked the CBI to produce documents it had collected against Mondal before the court. He also asked the CBI to hand over a copy of the documents to Mondal’s lawyer Kapil Sibal and fixed the case for hearing on December 23.

Moving the petition on behalf of Mondal, Sibal claimed that according to the CBI, Mondal had been arrested on the basis of a statement made by Enamul Haque, the main accused in the cattle-smuggling case.

“But Enamul has been granted bail in time. Why then is the CBI opposing Mondal’s prayer.”

The CBI counsel told the court that fresh allegations were coming in regularly against Mondal.