Kolkata, Jan 15 (AHN) A single-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday gave interim protection from any coercive action to the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, in an FIR registered against him.

In the FIR, Adhikari was accused of making derogatory comments against former Indian Police Service (I.P.S) officer and the current district vice-president of Trinamool Congress in Malda district, Prasun Bandyopadhyay.

Besides granting interim protection from any coercive action, the single-judge Bench of Justice Suvra Ghosh also directed the police not to act on the FIR in the matter registered against Adhikari at Chanchal Police Station in Malda district based on the complaint filed by Prasun Bandyopadhyay.

However, Justice Ghosh ruled that the investigation in the matter would continue, and the LoP would also have to cooperate with the Investigating Officers in the matter.

However, at the same time, Justice Ghosh exempted Adhikari from physically appearing at the Chanchal Police Station in Malda district. If necessary, the Investigating Officers in the matter would question Adhikari in the matter virtually, the single-judge Bench ruled.

Prasun Bandyopadhyay contested from the Malda (Uttar) Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. However, he was defeated by the two-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha member, Khagen Murmu.

On January 2, Adhikari addressed a public meeting at the Kalambagan area under Chanchal Police Station in Malda district. There, he allegedly launched an offensive verbal attack against Prasun Bandyopadhyay and described him as “a robber, a lecher, and a characterless person”.

Soon after that, Prasun Bandyopadhyay filed a complaint against Adhikari in the matter at Chanchal Police Station, and based on it, an FIR was registered at the police station.

Adhikari approached Justice Ghosh’s Bench seeking dismissal of the FIR. The matter came up for hearing on Thursday, and at the end of the hearing, Justice Ghosh granted interim protection to him in the matter.