Attempt to murder case: SC to Friday hear anticipatory bail plea of union minister Nisith Pramanik
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on January 12 a plea of union minister of state for home affairs Nisith Pramanik seeking anticipatory bail in an attempt-to-murder case lodged against him in 2018.
A bench of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal issued notice to the West Bengal government and asked senior advocate PS Patwalia, appearing for Pramanik, to serve the copy of the petition on the counsel for the state.
It listed his plea for hearing on Friday.
Pramanik has moved the apex court challenging the January 4 order of the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court by which it had refused to grant him anticipatory bail in the case.
During the brief hearing, Patwalia said, "I am a Member of Parliament. The High Court has refused to grant me protection from arrest. I was earlier with the Trinamool Congress and now I am with BJP. Situation in West Bengal is very volatile, I may be arrested in this case, kindly grant me protection."
The bench said his plea is still pending before the high court and why can't he move there.
Patwalia said that the high court has posted the matter for further hearing on January 22 but by then if there is no protection, he may be arrested.
The bench, which had initially agreed to hear Pramanik's petition next week, said it will list the matter on January 12.
An attempt-to-murder case was registered against Pramanik with Dinhata police station of Cooch Behar district of West Bengal in 2018, when a group of people had opened fire on Trinamool Congress workers.
A person was allegedly shot at and injured in the firing. Pramanik, in his plea, said that a magistrate has issued a warrant against him in the case.
Pramanik, who was earlier with the TMC, had joined the BJP in February 2019. He had refuted the allegation of orchestrating the violence.
He had contested the parliamentary polls in 2019 on a BJP ticket and won the Cooch Behar Lok Sabha seat.
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Sujit Nair raises concerns over speculation of DMK-AIADMK understanding to block TVK
Chennai: Journalist and political commentator Sujit Nair has expressed concern over speculation that the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam could explore a post-poll understanding to prevent Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam from forming the government in Tamil Nadu.
In a social media post, Sujit Nair said the election verdict in Tamil Nadu reflected a clear public demand for political change and argued that the mandate should be respected irrespective of political preferences.
Referring to reports and political discussions surrounding a possible understanding between the DMK and AIADMK, he said he hoped such developments remained only speculative conversations and did not turn into reality.
Nair stated that if such an alliance were to take shape, it would raise serious questions about ideological politics in the country. He said TVK had emerged through a democratic electoral process and that the legitimacy to govern in a parliamentary democracy comes from the people’s verdict.
According to him, attempts to prevent an electoral winner from forming the government through unexpected political arrangements may be constitutionally valid, but many people could view them as politically opportunistic.
He further said that such a move could particularly affect the political image of the DMK, which has historically projected itself around ideology, social justice and opposition politics. Nair said that in ideological terms, the DMK appeared closer to TVK than to the AIADMK, and joining hands with its long-time political rival only to remain in power could weaken its broader political narrative.
He added that the same questions would apply to the AIADMK as well, as the party had spent decades positioning itself against the DMK and such an arrangement could create discomfort among its cadre and supporters.
Drawing a comparison with Maharashtra politics in 2019, Nair said he had expressed similar views when the Shiv Sena formed an alliance with the Indian National Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party after the Assembly elections.
He said post-poll alliances between long-standing political rivals often create a public perception that ideology and electoral mandates become secondary when political power equations come into play.
Nair also said such developments increase public cynicism towards politics and reinforce the belief among voters that ideology is often sidelined after elections.
He maintained that the Tamil Nadu verdict was emphatic and said respecting both the spirit and substance of the mandate was important for the credibility of democratic politics.
