Story perspectives

Calcutta High Court Grants Bail to Nandigram Candidate Milan Pradhan

By Drooid · Oct 3, 2026, 10:22 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The Calcutta High Court granted bail to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan for the Nandigram by-poll on 6 October 2026.
The court called the arrest vindictive and a threat to Pradhan’s democratic participation.
Pradhan was arrested on 18 September 2026, hours after Mamata Banerjee’s faction announced support.
He spent eleven days in custody, missing most of the sixteen-day campaign.
West Bengal’s government appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn the bail order.

History

Historical Context

During the 1975-77 Emergency, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi invoked Articles 352 and 356, used MISA and DISIR to detain opponents, and over 110,000 people—including leader Jayaprakash Narayan—were jailed. The Supreme Court later limited parliamentary power in the Kesavananda Bharati judgment. The Calcutta High Court’s recent bail for Milan Pradhan revives those historic judicial checks on political detention.

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Story summary

The Calcutta High Court granted bail to Congress candidate Milan Pradhan for the Nandigram by-poll on 6 October 2026.
The court called the arrest vindictive and a threat to Pradhan’s democratic participation.
Pradhan was arrested on 18 September 2026, hours after Mamata Banerjee’s faction announced support.
He spent eleven days in custody, missing most of the sixteen-day campaign.
West Bengal’s government appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn the bail order.

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