Calcutta HC refuses urgent hearing to ex-minister Aroop Biswas seeking protection from coercive action

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Monday refused to grant an urgent hearing to former West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas seeking protection from coercive action by the police.

The former sports minister has been summoned by the police on Monday in connection with a case related to chaos during an event showcasing Argentine football star Lionel Messi at Salt Lake Stadium last year, after he failed to appear before the investigators on an earlier date last week.

Justice Sougata Bhattacharyya, while granting permission to the TMC leader's lawyer to file a petition before the court challenging an FIR lodged against him, said the matter would be heard according to the serial of listing of cases.


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Biswas' lawyer moved the court seeking permission to file a petition for quashing of the FIR and protection from coercive action by the police and sought an urgent hearing of the matter.

The former minister was asked to appear before investigators after an FIR was lodged against him by the event organiser Shatadru Dutta, accusing the former minister of black-marketing tickets, extortion, criminal intimidation and cheating related to the show.

The event at the Salt Lake Stadium on December 13, 2025, had descended into chaos after many people allegedly entered the ground without valid access, causing security breaches and crowd disorder.

Many spectators who bought expensive tickets complained that they could neither properly see Messi nor enjoy the programme due to overcrowding around the soccer star and mismanagement.

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Messi left the ground quickly amid the commotion, following which sections of angry spectators vandalised parts of the stadium.

Police subsequently arrested Dutta, who spent 37 days in custody before securing bail. Following his release, he blamed Biswas for the event's collapse and the losses suffered by the organisers.