‘Right to life': Cal HC cites trial delay, grants bail to 2 in 2012 murder case
Kolkata: Citing right to life and liberty and linking a delay in trial with it, the Calcutta High Court recently granted bail to two murder accused following more than 12 years of incarceration.
The duo, along with two others, had been accused of killing two of a Kolkata family and their two maids.
The murders of 48-year-old Dipak Bhattacharya, who ran a small cable TV business, his 78-year-old bedridden mother Gouri Bhattacharya, and their maids — Mayna Roy and Anima Mondal — took place on Sept 6, 2012. On Sept 9, police arrested four employees of Dipak for the crime. Munna Dhali, Nabu dhali, Rajesh Das and Sattar Mondal were accused of breaking into Dipak's Biren Roy (West) Road house and committing the murders.
They could not steal anything and fled as a phone started ringing in the house. Autopsy reports revealed that the victims' throat injuries were due to smothering and manual strangulation.
Recently, alleged mastermind Munna and Nabu approached the Calcutta High Court for bail. In Feb 2025, Rajesh was granted bail by a division bench and the high court had cited Article 21 then as well. During the hearing, the state had undertaken to examine five more witnesses and assured completion of probe within two months from Feb 24.
by Taboola
by Taboola
Sponsored Links
Sponsored Links
Promoted Links
Promoted Links
You May Like
O novo dispositivo que os idosos usam para ajudar na neuropatia (dor nos nervos)
A arte do herbalismo
Undo
On April 24, the high court turned down the bail plea of another co-accused, Sattar.
While hearing Munna and Nabu's bail pleas, the HC was told by their counsel that trial in the case had started on Sept 20, 2013, and only 44 witnesses had been examined in 12 years, with bleak chances of trial ending soon. Noting that there had been no progress in the trial, Justice Suvra Ghosh said: "Without touching the merits of the case and solely on the anvil of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, prayer for bail is allowed.
"
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
19 minutes ago
- NDTV
Influencer Sharmishta Panoli Gets Interim Bail From Calcutta High Court
Quick Read Summary is AI generated, newsroom reviewed. Sharmishta Panoli, a 22-year-old influencer from Kolkata, was granted interim bail after her arrest over a controversial post. A case has also been filed against the complainant, Wajahat Khan Qadri. Kolkata: Sharmishta Panoli, the 22-year-old social media influencer from Kolkata arrested over a communally charged video linked to Operation Sindoor, has been granted interim bail by the Calcutta High Court. Ms Panoli was arrested on May 31, over two weeks after she made the controversial remarks in response to a post questioning India's military action after the Pahalgam attack. The interim bail comes a day after the Kolkata Police filed a first information report (FIR) against Wajahat Khan Qadri, the man whose complaint led to the arrest of Ms Panoli. Mr Qadri faces allegations of hurting religious sentiments. He is on the run, the police said. An Assam Police team has also reached Kolkata with an arrest warrant for Mr Qadri. The Assam Police filed a case against him earlier this week for posting content on social media that contained hate speech and derogatory remarks, which hurt religious sentiments. He was not found at his Kolkata house when the police team went there on Wednesday. Mr Khan also faces many cases in other states. Ms Panoli was arrested from Gurugram last week after her Instagram post drew protests. Her arrest sparked a political row, with the BJP and its allies targeting the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal. She was produced in court and sent to judicial custody for 14 days. Ms Panoli even received support from nearly 7,000 km away. Geert Wilders, a member of the Dutch Parliament and the leader of the right-wing Party for Freedom, has said the influencer's arrest is a "disgrace for freedom of speech" and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure she is freed.
The Hindu
30 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Calcutta High Court grants interim bail to social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday (June 5, 2025) granted interim bail to social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli, who was arrested by Kolkata Police for a social media post on Operation Sindoor. The 22-year-old student was arrested in Gurugram and brought to Kolkata on a transit remand. The High Court, while granting interim bail to Ms. Panoli, said 'at this point there is no need of custodial interrogation'. The Calcutta High Court directed Ms. Panoli to furnish a bail bond of ₹10,000. Earlier, Kolkata Police had defended the arrest of social media influencer and law student, stating that the posts made by her amounted to 'hate speech' and should not be conflated with freedom of expression. Ms. Panoli's arrest sparked political outrage, with the Opposition BJP accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led government of 'State-sponsored repression'. (With inputs from PTI)
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Calcutta High Court grants interim bail to social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted interim bail to social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli, who was arrested by Kolkata Police for allegedly uploading a video with communal comments. The court held that the complaint against her does not disclose any cognisable offence. Panoli, a law student , was arrested from Gurugram in Haryana last week, after an FIR was filed against her at the Garden Reach Police Station in Kolkata in the wake of a viral video where she made controversial remarks criticising Bollywood actors on Operation Sindoor . The police had maintained that her now-deleted video had "derogatory and disrespectful" comments against a minority community. The bench of Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury ordered that she be enlarged on bail bond and security of Rs 10,000, and directed her to cooperate with the investigation into the case. Live Events The court also directed her not to leave the country without its permission. The high court further directed the police to provide protection to Panoli, as she complained of having received threats following her social media post. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
