Explain grounds of DYFI leader’s arrest: HC to cops
Times of India | 19 September 2024
Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday asked if a person could be arrested based on a telephonic conversation. The court also asked police to explain the grounds for arrest of DYFI state leader Kalatan Dasgupta.
Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj will hear the matter again on Thursday.
On Saturday, Bidhannagar Police had arrested the youth leader allegedly for masterminding an attack on the ongoing dharna by the junior doctors in front of Swasthya Bhavan.The arrest was based on a telephonic conversation Dasgupta apparently had with Sanjib Das. Bidhannagar Police had stated in a press conference that they had verified the voice, which they claimed to be of Kalatan Dasgupta. Dasgupta had moved HC challenging the claim.
Dasgupta’s counsel Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya challenged the purported audio clip and argued on Wednesday that there was no such conversation about the alleged attack on junior doctors. He claimed that Dasgupta was in no way connected to the conversation.
Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj said: “Shouldn’t we take calls if they come from unknown numbers?” He wanted to know from the prosecution whether the police had so far collected evidence that substantiated the charge that Dasgupta was planning the attack. Advocate general Kishore Datta submitted that the court should look into the incident and when it happened.
Bhattacharya, while arguing that the arrest went against the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution, said: “Can I be arrested for taking a call from an unknown person? Can I be held responsible for what the voice on the other side had said?”
The advocate general pointed out that the subordinate court had turned down the bail prayer by the petitioner. “Can the accused make a bail prayer in the higher court in this type of a case when the subordinated court has rejected his bail prayer?” he said. Datta asserted that according to probe, so far it was clear that a conspiracy of a major attack was underway.