Legal proceedings surrounding the upcoming bypoll in West Bengal's Nandigram assembly constituency intensified after the Calcutta High Court heard a plea filed by incarcerated Congress nominee Milan Pradhan. Addressing the state administration during the hearing, the court noted that Pradhan should be permitted to contest the election provided he secures bail under due process of law.
Arrest in 2007 Cases and Judicial Remand Timeline
Milan Pradhan, who was declared the Congress candidate for the Nandigram assembly bypoll, was taken into custody by the police on September 18 in connection with a criminal case registered back in 2007. Following his initial arrest, authorities formally shown him arrested in several other pending cases as well. These historical cases trace back to the 2007 anti-land acquisition agitation in Nandigram and include serious charges such as murder, attempted murder, abduction, and rioting.
Pradhan remains lodged in jail under judicial custody. In one of the registered matters, the magistrate court remanded him to judicial custody until October 3, while in another separate case dating from 2007, his judicial remand extends up to October 5.
State Government's Stand on the Six Challenged Cases
Seeking protection from coercive steps in the multiple cases invoked against him, Pradhan approached the Calcutta High Court through a writ petition. The matter came up for hearing on Tuesday before the bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya. Pradhan's counsel argued for interim protection against administrative and coercive police actions so that he could pursue his electoral campaign.
During the proceedings, counsel representing the West Bengal government informed the bench that out of the six cases in which the petitioner had sought protection, five cases were already closed. The state further clarified that Pradhan is not named as an accused person in the sixth remaining case. The High Court formally placed the state government's submission on record.
Electoral Calendar and Bail Conditions
Following the state's submission, the court made an oral observation that if Pradhan manages to obtain bail, he should be allowed to participate in the election. Consequently, the practical ability of the candidate to take part in electoral activities remains tied directly to whether he secures bail from the relevant courts.
Voting in the Nandigram assembly by-election is scheduled to take place on October 6, 2026, while the official campaigning period concludes on October 4. With his judicial custody extending until October 3 in one matter and October 5 in another, his presence on the campaign trail hinges entirely on urgent bail relief. The Congress leadership has maintained that it will continue to fight the legal battle on behalf of Pradhan, whereas police authorities contend that the action was carried out on the basis of long-pending non-bailable warrants stemming from the 2007 cases.
