Calcutta HC grants Milan Pradhan interim bail till Oct 20 for Nandigram bypoll
Synopsis
Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, arrested just hours after TMC announced support for him in the Nandigram bypoll, has been granted interim bail by the Calcutta High Court until 20 October — with strict daily check-in conditions. The court's explicit reasoning: ensuring a level playing field at the 6 October polls.
Key Takeaways
Calcutta High Court Justice Tirthankar Ghosh granted interim bail to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan on 29 September 2026 , valid till 20 October .
Bail covers all six cases registered against Pradhan; court cited the need for a free and fair contest.
Pradhan was arrested on 18 September in connection with two murder cases from 2007 linked to the Nandigram anti-land acquisition movement.
He must surrender at a district court in Haldia after polling and call the police station at 8:30 am and 9:30 pm daily.
The Nandigram bypoll is scheduled for 6 October , with vote counting on 9 October ; the HC will hear the matter again on 11 October .
TMC 's withdrawal of its candidate and backing of Pradhan is seen as a fresh move toward Opposition unity after Mamata Banerjee 's defeat in this year's Assembly polls.
The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, 29 September 2026, granted interim bail to Milan Pradhan, the Indian National Congress candidate for the upcoming Nandigram Assembly Constituency bypoll in East Midnapore district, West Bengal, until 20 October. A single-judge Bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh ruled that the bail was necessary to allow Pradhan to contest freely and participate in the campaign process on equal footing with other candidates.
Key Observations by the Court
Justice Ghosh categorically stated that the interim bail had been extended to cover all six cases registered against Pradhan, not merely the two most recent charges. The Bench underscored that the purpose was to safeguard the democratic rights of the candidate ahead of the 6 October bypoll. The matter is scheduled to be heard again on 11 October — one day after the current bail term expires.
Conditions Imposed on Pradhan
The court attached strict conditions to the interim bail. Pradhan must surrender before a district court in Haldia, East Midnapore, immediately after the election process concludes. He is also required to contact the relevant police station at 8:30 am and 9:30 pm daily and speak to the Investigating Officer throughout the bail period.
Background: Arrest and Murder Cases
Pradhan was arrested on 18 September — hours after former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that her All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) faction would back the Congress candidate in Nandigram. He had been in judicial custody in connection with two old murder cases dating to 2007, linked to the anti-land acquisition movement at Nandigram during the late Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee-led Left Front government. His judicial custody was originally set to expire on 5 October.
Political Context: TMC–Congress Alliance Signal
The sequence of events has sharply raised the political temperature in West Bengal. Trinamool's original candidate, Sanchita Dey Pradhan, withdrew dramatically before Mamata announced support for the Congress nominee — a move widely interpreted as a step toward Opposition unity in the state. This comes after Mamata Banerjee's defeat in the Assembly elections earlier this year, in which current West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari contested and won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in South Kolkata. Adhikari retained Bhabanipur, thereby necessitating the Nandigram bypoll.
Bypolls Schedule
The Nandigram bypoll and the Rejinagar Assembly Constituency bypoll in Murshidabad district are both scheduled for 6 October, with counting of votes on 9 October. The outcome in Nandigram is being watched closely as a bellwether for the Opposition's ability to consolidate against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal ahead of future electoral contests.
Point of View
Regardless of the legal merits of the 2007 murder cases. The Calcutta High Court's unusually explicit rationale, that bail was granted to ensure electoral parity, signals judicial discomfort with custody that coincided so precisely with a campaign development. More broadly, the TMC–Congress arrangement in Nandigram is a tactical move born of electoral necessity rather than ideological convergence, and its durability beyond a single bypoll remains an open question. With Suvendu Adhikari having consolidated BJP's hold over the seat just months ago, the Opposition's ability to translate unity optics into actual votes on 6 October will be the real test.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Milan Pradhan granted bail by the Calcutta High Court?
The Calcutta High Court granted Milan Pradhan interim bail until 20 October so he could contest the Nandigram Assembly bypoll freely and participate in the campaign on equal terms with other candidates. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh specified that the bail applies to all six cases registered against him.
What are the cases against Milan Pradhan?
Pradhan is in judicial custody in connection with two murder cases from 2007, related to the anti-land acquisition movement at Nandigram during the Left Front government led by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. In total, six cases are registered against him, all covered by the interim bail order.
When is the Nandigram bypoll and why is it being held?
The Nandigram Assembly Constituency bypoll is scheduled for 6 October, with vote counting on 9 October. It was necessitated when West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, who won from both Nandigram and Bhabanipur in the earlier Assembly elections, chose to retain the Bhabanipur seat.
What conditions did the court attach to Milan Pradhan's bail?
Pradhan must surrender before a district court in Haldia immediately after the election process ends. He is also required to call the relevant police station at 8:30 am and 9:30 pm daily and speak to the Investigating Officer throughout the bail period.
What is the political significance of TMC supporting the Congress candidate in Nandigram?
TMC's withdrawal of its own candidate and endorsement of the Congress nominee is seen as a concrete step toward Opposition unity in West Bengal, coming after Mamata Banerjee's defeat in the Assembly elections earlier this year. Analysts view it as a tactical alliance aimed at consolidating anti-BJP votes in a politically sensitive constituency.
