Calcutta High Court to hold Narada hearing on Friday

Since the case was not heard on Thursday, the four arrested leaders will continue to remain in judicial custody

Calcutta High Court: File picture

Legal Correspondent   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |  21.05.21: Calcutta High Court didn’t conduct the Narada hearing on Thursday “due to unavoidable circumstances” and the case would be taken up by the division bench of acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal on Friday.

The final hearing of the case was scheduled for Thursday, but around 11.30am, the high court administration issued a notification saying “due to unavoidable circumstances, the First Division Bench will not assemble today”.

The first division bench is considered to be that of Chief Justice or acting Chief Justice.

The CBI is seeking the transfer of the trial outside Bengal, while four arrested leaders want the reversal of the high court’s order staying the interim bail granted to them by a subordinate court on Monday.

Later in the day, an application was moved on behalf of Madan Mitra, one of the four arrested leaders in the case, requesting the registrar general of the court for hearing by another division bench.

But the high court administration turned down the prayer, informing that the division bench of acting Chief Justice Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee would continue to hear the case on Friday.

Since the case was not heard on Thursday, ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, Trinamul Congress MLA Madan Mitra and former Calcutta mayor Sovan Chatterjee will continue to remain in judicial custody.

The high court remains closed on Saturdays and Sundays but the acting Chief Justice has the discretion to hear applications on holidays also.