Calcutta High Court Directs State to Protect Jahangir Khan’s Human Rights During Police Custody

KalimNews, June 27, 2026, Kolkata : The Calcutta High Court has orally observed that arrested Trinamool Congress leader and former Falta Assembly candidate Jahangir Khan must not be subjected to any treatment that violates his fundamental human rights while in police custody.

Hearing a petition filed by Khan's wife, Sarika Bibi, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya directed the West Bengal government to submit a detailed report within seven days listing all FIRs registered against him. The court also emphasised that the police should avoid practices such as tying ropes around an accused during transit or publicly parading individuals after arrest.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner alleged that Khan had been taken through public places wearing shorts and was allegedly compelled to apologise before crowds. The lawyer also informed the court that the family had faced difficulties in executing a vakalatnama and had not been informed about all the criminal cases registered against Khan.

Responding on behalf of the state, Additional Advocate General Billwadal Bhattacharya said he would seek instructions regarding the allegations of public parading. He also submitted that the Chief Minister had already appealed to the public not to take the law into their own hands after alleged attempts were made to attack Khan while he was being transported by the police.

The state assured the court that no action violating Khan's human rights would be taken. However, it opposed the plea seeking to quash the subsequent FIRs, contending that Khan had allegedly attempted to flee the country and that an earlier protective order granted in his favour had already been vacated.

Earlier this month, the Calcutta High Court had sought a detailed report from the state police following allegations that arrested persons were being publicly paraded with ropes tied around their waists.

The issue gained renewed attention after Jahangir Khan was again taken through parts of Falta by police on Thursday, marking the third such public transit since his arrest. The incident occurred only days after the High Court questioned the legality of publicly parading accused persons and sought an explanation from the police.

Jahangir Khan, who had previously compared himself to the fictional character Pushpa and claimed to draw inspiration from the Bollywood character Gabbar Singh, was arrested on Monday near the India-Nepal border at Panitanki in North Bengal.

A court subsequently remanded him to five days of police custody in connection with allegations including extortion and other criminal offences. According to police records, seven FIRs have been registered against him.

Considered to be close to Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Khan had verbally withdrawn from the Falta Assembly election and had remained absent from the South 24 Parganas constituency shortly before the repoll held on May 21.

Videos and photographs circulating on social media showed Khan being escorted by police through public areas of Falta, drawing fresh criticism over the practice of publicly displaying accused persons during investigation.

Since the BJP assumed office in West Bengal last month, several Trinamool Congress leaders have been arrested in connection with allegations including violence, extortion and other criminal offences. In a number of cases, the accused have reportedly been taken through their neighbourhoods under police escort following their arrest.

On June 5, a vacation bench of the Calcutta High Court comprising Justices Jay Sengupta and Smita Das directed the state police to submit a report within three weeks regarding allegations of accused persons being publicly paraded. The bench reportedly observed that while the police have the authority to arrest an individual, they are not empowered to publicly humiliate or defame an accused person.

The controversy has also brought renewed focus to the legal limits governing police restraint and the treatment of arrested persons.

Section 43(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita permits police officers to use handcuffs in specified categories of serious offences, including organised crime, terrorism, murder, rape, human trafficking and offences against the State. The provision states that restraints may be used after considering the nature of the offence and the circumstances of each individual case.

Similar judicial observations have been made by other High Courts. In April, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered an inquiry into allegations that an accused person had been deliberately paraded on foot while being taken from a police station to court, observing that actions intended to humiliate an individual could violate constitutional protections. Earlier this year, the Rajasthan High Court also remarked that photographing arrested persons and publicly displaying those images could amount to a violation of the constitutional right to live with dignity.

The matter is expected to come up again before the Calcutta High Court after the state submits its report on the FIRs and the allegations concerning the treatment of the accused during police custody.