SC grants anticipatory bail to Trinamool Congress leader SK Supiyan

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to Trinamool Congress leader SK Supiyan, who was the election agent of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram.

The Court allowed his plea seeking anticipatory bail with various conditions.
The apex court was hearing the appeal filed by Supiyan, challenging an order of the Calcutta High Court which rejected his anticipatory bail plea.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its affidavit, opposed the plea filed by Supiyan and urged the court to dismiss his petition seeking relief, saying that there are cogent reasons to justify the arrest of the petitioner and his custodial interrogation to unearth a wider and larger conspiracy of planned political rioting and revenge “Thus as per the material and statement on record pertaining to the offence in question, there are cogent reasons to justify the arrest of the petitioner and his custodial interrogation to unearth a wider and larger conspiracy of planned political rioting and revenge,” said CBI, in a reply filed opposing Supiyan’s plea.

CBI told the Supreme Court that the gravity of the offences committed by Supiyan alias Suffian for which he is being investigated, the motive and intention with which such heinous offences were planned and executed by the petitioner does not entitle him from seeking any relief at this stage.

CBI in its reply filed said that witnesses have identified and stated, about the criminal conspiracy hatched by the petitioner accused on May 5, 2021, after the declaration of result of Nandigram Constituency with others to teach a lesson to Hindus who voted for BJP resulting in loss of the TMC candidate in Nandigram assembly constituency.

The Supreme Court earlier granted interim protection from arrest to Supiyan in connection with a murder case which the CBI has been investigating.

The CBI is probing the killing of a BJP worker in the Nandigram constituency which took place during the post-poll violence that transpired in West Bengal after the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress won the state assembly polls in May 2021.

The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into various incidents of killings and sexual assault that took place in the State allegedly at the behest of the ruling party.