Calcutta HC nod to make Bengal govt party to case, hearing today

A five-judge bench of the Calcutta high court on Thursday heard the petition to vacate the stay on bail of four political leaders, including Trinamool Congress ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee in connection with the Narada Sting case. The court reportedly gave permission to make the West Bengal government a party to the case. The next hearing will be on Friday.

Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, fighting on behalf of the CBI, argued that the people's protests may influence the case. Tushar Mehta, it is learnt, is said to have stated that there was an attempt to influence the law through the people's protest.

Harish Tandon, one of the judges on the bench, observed that there was no reason to believe that people’s emotions and protest cannot change or influence the judicial system. Justice Indra Prasanna Mukherjee wanted proof if the process of the judicial system was influenced by the protestors. The new bench includes Justices Rajesh Bindal, Arijit Banerjee, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen and Indra Prasanna Mukherjee. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, fighting for the TMC ministers, argued that there is hardly any reason to prevent the interim bail from being granted because of protests by people.