Kolkata, 13 August (H.S.) : Former Trinamool Congress MLA from Katwa, Rabindranath Chatterjee, has received relief from the Calcutta High Court in connection with a 13-year-old job-related case. The court has restrained the police from taking any coercive action, including arrest, against him for the time being.

The case came up for hearing before Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya on Thursday. During the proceedings, the judge observed that the purpose behind registering the FIR in the case did not appear to be justified. Following the hearing, the court granted Chatterjee protection from arrest until November 30.

The FIR against the former MLA was registered on July 1 this year based on allegations dating back 13 years. While granting protection, the court made it clear that Chatterjee would have to fully cooperate with the police investigation.

The court also directed the police to provide Chatterjee with at least 48 hours' notice before taking any action against him. The matter will next be heard on November 26.

Rabindranath Chatterjee, a senior Trinamool Congress leader from Purba Bardhaman, has previously secured protection from arrest from the court in six separate cases. The latest order provides him relief in another case.

Chatterjee has represented the Katwa Assembly constituency as an MLA six times and is regarded as an influential political leader in the area. He had been elected from Katwa since 1996, initially on a Congress ticket and later as a Trinamool Congress candidate.

The Trinamool Congress had fielded him again from Katwa in the 2026 Assembly elections. However, he lost the election to BJP candidate Krishna Ghosh by a margin of more than 35,000 votes.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh