Calcutta HC upholds interim protection for ex-Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas in Messi event case
Synopsis
The Calcutta High Court's division bench has refused to disturb interim protection granted to former West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas in the Messi event chaos case — keeping him shielded from arrest until 17 August. The organiser of the ill-fated event challenged the order, but the court held firm, with the state confirming Biswas is cooperating with the probe.
Key Takeaways
A Calcutta High Court division bench on 23 June upheld interim protection for former West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas from coercive police action until 17 August .
The case relates to crowd management failures at Lionel Messi 's 'GOAT India Tour' event at Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata , on 13 December last year.
Event organiser Satadru Dutta challenged the single-judge order, arguing the charges were serious and that police had made no substantive progress after the FIR.
The bench of Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen declined to lift the protection after the state confirmed Biswas was cooperating with investigators.
The next hearing is scheduled for 2 July .
A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, 23 June upheld a single-judge order granting interim protection from coercive police action to former West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas until 17 August, in connection with alleged mismanagement during footballer Lionel Messi's 'GOAT India Tour' event in Kolkata. The division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, declined to disturb the earlier protection order after hearing arguments from both sides.
Background: The Messi Event Chaos
The case stems from the Lionel Messi exhibition event held at Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake, Kolkata, on 13 December last year. Crowd management failures at the venue reportedly triggered widespread chaos, prompting the Argentine football legend to make an early exit over security concerns. The incident drew significant public outrage and political scrutiny.
The West Bengal government subsequently launched an investigation, with Aroop Biswas — who served as Sports and Power Minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Cabinet — being accused of bearing responsibility for the mismanagement. An FIR was registered in the matter.
Single-Judge Order and the Challenge
Biswas approached the Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharya, seeking protection from arrest and other coercive police action. On 10 June, Justice Bhattacharya's bench granted interim protection until 17 August, while clarifying that police could continue their investigation as per law and that Biswas must appear before the investigating agency if served a notice.
On 16 June, Satadru Dutta, the organiser of the Messi event, challenged this order before the division bench, arguing that the charges against Biswas were serious enough to warrant lifting the protection. Dutta's counsel also alleged that police had become inactive and that no substantive progress had been made in the investigation after the FIR was filed.
Arguments Before the Division Bench
Biswas's counsel countered by questioning Dutta's legal standing — or locus standi — to challenge a court order, arguing that the organiser had no business questioning the pace of the investigation once a court had passed a specific direction.
Acting Chief Justice Chakraborty sought clarification on whether Biswas was cooperating with investigators and appearing before the Investigating Officer. The state's lawyer confirmed that Biswas was cooperating with the probe. Satisfied with the response, the division bench upheld the single-judge order, keeping the interim protection in place until 17 August.
What Happens Next
The next hearing in the matter has been scheduled for 2 July. The case continues to draw attention given its intersection of political accountability, event management failures, and the high-profile nature of the Messi visit — one of the most-anticipated sporting events in Kolkata in recent memory. Whether the investigation gains momentum before the protection expires on 17 August will be closely watched.
Point of View
Raising questions about the pace of the police investigation that the state has not publicly addressed. If the FIR has stalled, as Dutta's counsel alleged, the protection effectively becomes a shield against accountability rather than a safeguard against misuse of process. The 17 August deadline is the real pressure point: either the investigation produces something substantive, or the court will face a harder question about whether the protection should continue.
NationPress
23 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Calcutta High Court's Aroop Biswas interim protection case about?
The case concerns alleged mismanagement during footballer Lionel Messi's 'GOAT India Tour' event in Kolkata on 13 December last year, where crowd control failures led to chaos and Messi's early exit. Former West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas has been accused of responsibility for the mismanagement, and he sought court protection from arrest while the investigation is ongoing.
What did the Calcutta High Court division bench decide on 23 June?
The division bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen, upheld the earlier single-judge order granting Biswas interim protection from coercive police action until 17 August. The bench confirmed the protection after the state lawyer said Biswas was cooperating with investigators.
Why did event organiser Satadru Dutta challenge the court order?
Satadru Dutta, who organised the Messi event, argued before the division bench that the charges against Biswas were serious enough to warrant lifting the interim protection. Dutta's counsel also alleged that police had become inactive and that no substantive investigation had progressed after the FIR was registered.
When is the next hearing in the Aroop Biswas Messi event case?
The next hearing has been scheduled for 2 July before the Calcutta High Court. The interim protection granted to Biswas remains in place until 17 August.
What conditions apply to Aroop Biswas under the court's protection order?
While Biswas is protected from coercive police action including arrest, the court has made clear that the police investigation must continue as per law. If the investigating agency issues a notice, Biswas is required to appear before the Investigating Officer.
