Calcutta High Court on Tuesday issued an interim order restraining police in Nandigram from proceeding with FIRs lodged against 47 BJP workers
for four weeks.

The order from Justice Amrita Sinha followed a case moved by Opposition leader Suvendu Adhikari alleging that the Nandigram police, with the active influence of the Trinamool Congress, had lodged over 35 separate criminal cases against the 47 BJP workers since the Lok Sabha polls.

Appearing for the state government, advocate Kishore Datta opposed Adhikari's prayer. He said: "Police have been conducting an inquiry based on the complaints lodged against the accused. In most cases, nobody was arrested. At this stage of the investigation, the court should not stop the probe."

Adhikari's counsel P.S. Patowalia argued that all the cases were lodged with political motives. "The only intention of the state is to humiliate Adhikari and his followers. Since the inquiry by the police had ended in the meantime, the court should prevent the police from taking any coercive measures against those 47 persons...."

The matter will be heard again by the court after four weeks.

Arabul gets bail

Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted conditional bail to Trinamool Congress leader Arabul Islam, who had been arrested by police on February 4 for his alleged involvement in the murder of an ISF worker in Bhangar.