The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from coercive action to former West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas until 17 August, imposing a set of strict conditions as the court probed alleged irregularities surrounding Lionel Messi's GOAT India Tour event at Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake, Kolkata, on 13 December last year. The order comes after Biswas approached the court fearing arrest following an FIR filed by the event's main organiser.

Key Conditions of the Court Order

Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya made clear that the interim protection would not impede the ongoing investigation. Should any notice be issued to Biswas, the investigating agency must provide at least 48 hours' prior notice, and Biswas is obligated to appear before investigators without fail.

The court further directed Biswas to submit his passport to a lower court within seven days and barred him from leaving his residential area without explicit court permission. If Biswas fails to respond to any notice, the police are authorised to bring the matter back before the court.

What Happened at the Messi Event

The matter centres on alleged crowd management failures at the GOAT India Tour event in Kolkata, which reportedly descended into chaos and led to Messi's early exit due to security concerns. The court noted pointedly that the same tour had been conducted without incident in three other Indian cities, raising questions about what went wrong specifically in Kolkata.

'The event was held without any issues in three other cities, but why was there chaos in Kolkata?' Justice Bhattacharyya asked during the hearing. The court observed that the incident had adversely impacted the city's reputation, while asserting that granting protection to Biswas would not dilute the seriousness of the allegations against him.

The Ticket Controversy

A significant line of questioning during the hearing focused on ticket distribution. The lawyer for petitioner and main event organiser Satadru Dutta told the court that 70,000 tickets were issued in total, of which Aroop Biswas alone took 22,000 tickets — ostensibly for residents of his Assembly constituency. Biswas reportedly then sold these tickets to various clubs, a claim that drew scrutiny from the bench.

The court also raised questions over Biswas' alleged proximity to Messi and sought explanations on the circumstances that led to the disruption.

Investigation Ordered

The Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate has been directed to conduct an impartial investigation into why the event could not be held properly, with a report to be submitted within four weeks. The court emphasised that the investigation must proceed strictly in accordance with the law.

The FIR in the case was filed by Satadru Dutta, the main organiser, against Biswas and several others. Biswas' counsel Kishore Dutta had drawn the court's attention to his client's arrest fears and applied for protection, which the court has now conditionally granted until 17 August.