The Indian Supreme Court granted protection from arrest to Union Minister of State Nisith Pramanik on Friday, pertaining to an attempted murder case filed against him. This ruling assists Pramanik in carrying out his duties without the disruption of arrest as he oversees various aspects of internal security and administrative functions for the Home Affairs Ministry of India’s Central Government. To understand the detailed court order, you may refer to it here.
With this ruling, the court has forbidden any coercive procedures, such as arrest, against Pramanik until the case reaches the High Court. However, the Supreme Court made no comment on the merits of the case, leaving it for the High Court to decide the matter. The case has been delegated to be heard by the Calcutta Circuit Bench at Jalpaiguri on January 22.
This protective order follows Pramanik’s appeal against the High Court’s order issued on January 4. According to the high court order, there are allegations of undisclosed significant criminal antecedents associated with Pramanik and the court decided to list the case before the appropriate bench when available.
This ongoing legal struggle originates from the attempted murder case filed against Pramanik back in 2018. He was accused of leading a group that allegedly fired upon Trinamool Congress workers in West Bengal’s Cooch Behar district, causing injuries to one person.
As a ruling member of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Pramanik was elected to the Seventeenth Lok Sabha in 2019, and is currently holding the position of State Minister for both Home Affairs and Youth Affairs and Sports. In 2021, he also served as an MLA from the Dinhata constituency in West Bengal, but resigned to continue his role as MP.
Under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 307, attempting to murder, which involves committing an act with the intent or knowledge that it could likely cause death, can lead to severe punishment, including imprisonment, if proven guilty.