Kolkata, 16 July (H.S.) -

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed that no proceedings be carried out in the lower court against Trinamool Congress leaders Paresh Pal, Swapna Samaddar, and Papiya Ghosh in connection with the murder of BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar, until further notice or a decision is made on their anticipatory bail pleas.

Justice Jay Sengupta, while passing the order, instructed the lower court to withhold any hearings in the case until either August 1 or the issuance of fresh directions by the High Court, whichever is earlier.

The case dates back to the post-poll violence that erupted in West Bengal following the 2021 Assembly election results. Abhijit Sarkar, a BJP worker from the Kankurgachi area, was allegedly strangled and beaten to death shortly after the election outcome was declared. His family accused local Trinamool leaders of orchestrating the murder.

The initial investigation was conducted by Narkeldanga Police Station. However, the Calcutta High Court later transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) due to its sensitive nature.

Police initially filed a chargesheet against 15 accused. In September 2021, the CBI submitted its first supplementary chargesheet, naming 20 individuals, including the original 15. On July 2, 2025, the CBI filed a second supplementary chargesheet which prominently named TMC MLA Paresh Pal as an accused. The latest chargesheet listed 18 individuals in total, including KMC Councillor Swapna Samaddar and Ward 30 Councillor Papiya Ghosh.

Following their names appearing in the chargesheet, all three TMC leaders approached the High Court seeking anticipatory bail. During Wednesday's hearing, their counsel argued that the case against them was politically motivated and an example of the misuse of central investigative agencies.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh