Kolkata, 13 October (H.S.): Former Trinamool Congress MLA Sabyasachi Dutta was granted interim bail by the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, paving the way for his release ahead of the Durga Puja festivities. Dutta had been incarcerated since early June, following his arrest on multiple extortion charges shortly after the change of government in the state. Despite several previous bail applications before the High Court, he had remained in custody for nearly three months.

The court accepted his interim bail plea on Tritiya, offering significant relief to the former lawmaker. However, another prominent leader from the party, former state minister Sujit Bose, failed to secure similar relief after the High Court rejected his bail petition, requiring him to remain in judicial custody through the festive period.

According to sources, multiple allegations of extortion had been raised against Dutta during the previous administration, though local residents reportedly hesitated to file official complaints at the time. Following the change of regime, personnel from the Bidhannagar North police station arrested him in early June. Dutta, a former mayor of the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation and councillor of Ward 31, was taken into custody late at night from a residential complex in the Raigachi area along 211 Road in Rajarhat.

During his initial court appearance, Dutta faced intense public backlash as an agitated crowd staged demonstrations outside the court premises, throwing eggs, rotten tomatoes, and cow dung while raising slogans against him. The magistrate subsequently remanded him to judicial custody. While his legal counsel made repeated attempts to secure bail, earlier petitions were denied, during which the High Court also sought a comprehensive report from the state government regarding the total number of pending cases against him.

Following the latest hearing on his fresh bail plea, the High Court formally approved his interim bail on Tuesday, and the former MLA is expected to be released from prison shortly.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh