A fast track court in East Midnapore’s Haldia on Saturday granted bail to nine Trinamul leaders and workers from Nandigram, 19 months after they were arrested by the CBI in a case of a BJP worker’s murder after the 2021 Assembly poll results.

On May 3, 2021, a day after the poll results were declared, Debrabrata Maiti, a 42-year-old BJP worker from Nandigram, was critically injured in a clash and died on May 13 at a Calcutta hospital. The CBI arrested 14 Trinamul workers from Nandigram in this case. Five got bail last year.

“The court granted bail to the nine persons accused in a murder case as they were in jail for more than 19 months. The CBI lawyers objected to the bail pleas, but the court dismissed them. However, the nine can’t move out of Bengal, according to the order,” said Mansoor Alam, the lawyer for the nine.

A Trinamul source said the bail order before the rural polls would send a “positive message” as arrests of party workers in dozens of post-poll violence cases had weakened Trinamul’s organisation in many pockets.

“Many party members in pockets like Nandigram shifted their political allegiance to avoid CBI arrest. The bail of nine... will send a positive message to our party workers,” said a Trinamul leader.

A BJP source said there was no reason for Trinamul to be happy with this bail order as the CBI would continue with its probe and arrest those absconding or not yet arrested.

Three more accused, including Abu Taher, the Nandigram panchayat samiti chef, are absconding according to CBI records.