Kolkata, Oct 29 (NationPress) A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court has granted interim protection to the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, a prominent leader from the BJP, shielding him from police actions related to two FIRs filed against him at different police stations pertaining to the same incident.

This interim relief was provided by Justice Jay Sengupta and is effective until November 18.

Justice Sengupta has also instructed the police to present the case diaries concerning the FIRs to the court by the next hearing date, which is set for November 11.

Additionally, the judge mandated that notices be dispatched to the complainants whose allegations resulted in the FIRs.

The FIRs stem from controversial remarks allegedly made by LoP Adhikari regarding Birbaha Hansda, the West Bengal Forest Department Minister.

Previously, the same bench had rescinded the protection that LoP Adhikari had against any future FIRs without court approval, a provision that was initially established in December 2022 by a former single-judge bench led by Justice Rajasekhar Mantha.

While withdrawing this protective measure, Justice Sengupta noted that the earlier protection was temporary and could not be sustained indefinitely.

However, on the same occasion, Justice Sengupta dismissed 15 FIRs that had already been filed against LoP Adhikari prior to the issuance of protection against future FIRs.

For the remaining cases, Justice Sengupta's bench has commanded that they be investigated by a joint Special Investigation Team (SIT), including members from both the West Bengal Police and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).