In a significant development, senior CPI(M) leader and former Kolkata mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya appeared as lawyer for BJP leader Mukul Roy in a corruption case. On Wednesday, Bikash Bhattacharya appeared for his client Muku Roy at Calcutta High Court, where BJP leader's arrest warrent was rejected. This matter is related to misappropriation of funds.
The single bench of Justice Rajesh Malhar dismissed the warrant against Roy. Last Thursday, the Delhi High Court passed an order which said the Kolkata Police cannot take any coercive action against Mukul Roy and he can't be arrested. However, the court had asked Roy to appear before Kolkata police for questioning which he duly complied .
This case is related to recovery of Rs 80 lakhs from a railway officer in Kolkata. Mukul Roy was asked to appear as witness and he didn't turn up, saying he is Delhi citizen. He was sent notice seven times. In 2019 February, a local court issued a warrant against Mukul Roy. He filed a counter case in Delhi High Court saying he is over 65, and can be questioned wherever he wants. The court gave him 10 days relief in that case and subsequently allowed him to challenge the warrant in Calcutta High Court.
However, the most important thing is, how Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya argued for Mukul Roy in court. When the news first broke that he may appear as BJP leader's lawyer, Bengal CPI(M) had strongly denied the reports. Sometime back, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya had also appeared for BJP in a case.
Bikash Bhattacharya after coming third from Jadavpur Lok Sabha constituency in this year's election had said that he would focus on his legal profession for some time. Clearly, in that pursuit, he is willing to take cases belonging to ideological opponents also.
