Calcutta HC grants Aditi Munshi anticipatory bail in ₹100 crore DA case
Synopsis
The Calcutta High Court handed former TMC MLA and devotional singer Aditi Munshi interim anticipatory bail in a ₹100 crore disproportionate assets case — but denied the same relief to her husband, a sitting TMC councillor. The split ruling, shaped partly by the couple's four-month-old daughter, sets the stage for a closely watched investigation into alleged asset concealment, extortion, and land-grabbing in Rajarhat-Gopalpur.
Key Takeaways
Calcutta High Court granted interim anticipatory bail to former TMC MLA Aditi Munshi on 24 June in a disproportionate assets case.
Her husband, TMC councillor Debraj Chakraborty , had his anticipatory bail plea rejected by the same bench.
The court cited the couple's four-month-old daughter as a humanitarian factor in granting relief to Munshi .
Both accused are alleged to have transferred assets worth approximately ₹100 crore anonymously or through relatives to conceal wealth declared in election affidavits.
Munshi is barred from entering areas under Baguiati Police Station jurisdiction and both must surrender passports and seek court permission before any foreign travel.
Munshi lost her Rajarhat-Gopalpur seat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections after serving as MLA from 2021 to 2026 .
The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday, 24 June granted interim anticipatory bail to former All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislator Aditi Munshi — also a noted devotional singer — in a disproportionate assets case filed by the West Bengal Police, alleging she held assets far exceeding her declared income. The relief, however, came with significant conditions, and her husband's similar plea was turned down in the same hearing.
What the Court Decided
A single-judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta granted the interim anticipatory bail to Munshi while simultaneously rejecting the anticipatory bail application of her husband, Debraj Chakraborty, a TMC councillor in the Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation. The bench cited the couple's four-month-old daughter as a key humanitarian consideration in extending relief to the mother.
Both Munshi and Chakraborty were directed to cooperate fully with the ongoing police investigation. The court also imposed a ban on foreign travel for either of them without prior permission from the Calcutta High Court, and ordered both to surrender their passports before a lower court.
Conditions Imposed on Munshi
The interim bail comes with strict riders. Munshi is barred from entering any area under the jurisdiction of Baguiati Police Station, where the case was originally registered. Neither she nor her husband may attempt to contact or influence any witness in the case during the interim period, the bench made clear.
The Core Allegations
The principal charge in the disproportionate assets case is that Munshi and Chakraborty transferred assets worth approximately ₹100 crore either anonymously or in the names of relatives and acquaintances. According to the police charge sheet, this was done to deliberately understate the value of assets declared in Munshi's election affidavit.
Beyond the asset concealment charge, both accused have also been alleged to have amassed wealth through extortion, operating syndicates, and engaging in land-grabbing activities in the Rajarhat-Gopalpur Assembly constituency, which Munshi represented as a TMC legislator between 2021 and 2026.
Political Context
This case comes shortly after Munshi lost her seat in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections earlier this year, ending her tenure as the Rajarhat-Gopalpur MLA. The disproportionate assets probe is part of a broader pattern of scrutiny on elected representatives in West Bengal, where multiple current and former legislators have faced similar allegations in recent years. Notably, the case was registered under the jurisdiction of Baguiati Police Station, falling within the very constituency she once represented.
The matter is expected to return to court as the investigation progresses, with both accused now bound by the conditions set by Justice Sengupta's bench.
Point of View
Rejection for Chakraborty — is legally significant because it signals the court sees differentiated culpability or risk within the same household. Using a four-month-old infant as a humanitarian ground for bail is established judicial practice, but it does not insulate Munshi from the investigation, which alleges ₹100 crore in concealed assets. What the case ultimately tests is whether West Bengal's accountability machinery — police, courts, and election commission affidavit scrutiny — can function without political interference now that Munshi has lost her legislative seat and, with it, some of the cover that incumbency provides. The pattern of TMC-linked figures facing DA cases post-electoral defeat is worth tracking: it raises the question of whether these probes are genuine anti-corruption drives or selectively timed political instruments.
NationPress
24 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Calcutta High Court grant anticipatory bail to Aditi Munshi?
Justice Jay Sengupta's bench granted interim anticipatory bail to Aditi Munshi primarily on humanitarian grounds, noting the couple has a four-month-old daughter. The bail comes with strict conditions including a travel ban, passport surrender, and a bar on entering the Baguiati Police Station jurisdiction.
What are the charges against Aditi Munshi and Debraj Chakraborty?
Both are accused of possessing disproportionate assets and transferring approximately ₹100 crore anonymously or through relatives to conceal wealth from Munshi's election affidavit. They have also been alleged to have accumulated assets through extortion, syndicates, and land-grabbing in the Rajarhat-Gopalpur constituency.
Why was Debraj Chakraborty's bail plea rejected?
The Calcutta High Court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Debraj Chakraborty, a TMC councillor in Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, in the same hearing where his wife received relief. The court did not extend the humanitarian consideration applied to Munshi to Chakraborty.
What conditions apply to Aditi Munshi's anticipatory bail?
Munshi must cooperate with the police investigation, surrender her passport before a lower court, seek prior court approval for any foreign travel, refrain from contacting or influencing witnesses, and stay out of areas under the Baguiati Police Station jurisdiction.
What is the political background to this case?
Aditi Munshi served as the TMC MLA from Rajarhat-Gopalpur between 2021 and 2026 but lost her seat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The disproportionate assets case was registered by West Bengal Police and covers activities allegedly conducted during her tenure as a legislator.
