After 37 days in custody, Messi event organiser Satadru gets bail
Times of India | 20 January 2026
Kolkata: Satadru Dutta, the main organiser and promoter of Lionel Messi's India tour, was granted bail by a Bidhannagar court on Monday, 37 days after he was arrested due to alleged mismanagement of the high-profile event at the Salt Lake stadium.
However, under the bail terms, Dutta was barred from leaving the Bidhannagar court's jurisdiction and must stay in the Salt Lake-Lake Town area, preventing him from returning to his residence in Hooghly's Rishra. He was also directed to surrender his passport and report to the investigating officer once every week.
Dutta was arrested on Dec 13, shortly after the football legend's appearance at the stadium descended into disorder. Fans who paid hefty sums for tickets alleged they were unable to get a clear view of the Argentine star as VIPs crowded around him. Messi left the venue earlier than scheduled, triggering widespread anger among spectators. Within minutes, sections of the crowd vandalised the stadium. Investigators cited serious lapses in planning, crowd management and security arrangements as factors that led to the unrest.
Police arrested Dutta from the airport the same afternoon as he was preparing to travel to Hyderabad with Messi for the next leg of the tour.
While the state govt showcaused state DGP Rajiv Kumar and Bidhannagar Police commissioner Mukesh, state minister Aroop Biswas gave up his sports portfolio. Bidhannagar ACP Anish Sarkar, who was in charge of law and order at the stadium, was suspended, and the stadium CEO was also relieved of his duties. A four-member SIT is still probing the incident.
"We told the court that Datta already spent 14 days in police custody and more than three weeks in jail, during which cops conducted jail interrogation. We appealed before the court to grant him bail under any condition, to which the magistrate agreed," said Dyutiman Bhattacharya, Datta's lawyer. State counsel Bivas Chattopadhyay opposed the plea, arguing that Dutta could influence witnesses and should remain in custody until ticket refunds were processed.
After hearing both sides, additional CJM Abhijeet Pakhrin granted Dutta conditional bail.