Rajganj, 23rd December: The Calcutta High Court rejected the anticipatory bail application of Rajganj Block Development Officer (BDO) Prashant Barman.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, hearing the case on Monday, not only dismissed the plea but also directed Barman to surrender before the concerned district court within 72 hours.
Barman has been named in a case involving the abduction and murder of a gold trader near Salt Lake, Kolkata. Earlier, the Barasat court had granted him anticipatory bail, but Bidhannagar police challenged the order in the High Court, alleging that Barman had secured the bail using forged documents.
During Monday’s hearing, the bench noted the seriousness of the allegations against Barman and stated that there was no reasonable ground to grant anticipatory bail at this stage. The court emphasized that, in the interest of investigation and justice, the accused must appear before the lower court in accordance with the law.
The High Court directed Barman to surrender within three days at the appropriate district court.
Commenting on the matter, Rajganj MLA Khageshwar Roy said the issue is sub judice and refrained from making any remarks. Similarly, Rupali Dey Sarkar, president of the Trinamool-led Rajganj Panchayat Samiti, declined to comment.
Meanwhile, BJP Rajganj Block Convenor Nitai Mandal welcomed the High Court’s decision, stating that the cancellation of bail proves the administration’s involvement in wrongdoing, and asserted that the gold trader’s family will now get justice.