HC disallows WB police from taking maoist leader to WB

Chennai, Sep 19 (UNI) A day after his re-arrest, the Madras High Court today disallowed the West Bengal Police from taking Nepal Maoist leader Chandraprakash Gajurel on transit remand to West Bengal.

Passing interim orders on a Habeas Corpus Petition (HCP), seeking to set him at liberty, a division bench, comprising Justice P Sadasivam and Justice S Tamilvanan held that till a final decision was taken on the HCP and other writ petition, the West Bengal police should not take Gajurel to their state.

The bench also directed the court registry to post the HCP and the pending writ petition, in which Gajurel challenged the transit warrant passed by a magistrate court in West Bengal in 2004 for further hearing to September 22.

When Counsel for Gajurel pleaded that the Maoist leader be released for a limited period as he had served the period of sentence for offences under the Passports Act and one year detention under the National Security Act, the bench said it was open to the petitioner to move the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court and obtain bail, if it was permissible.

The bench made it clear that the Public Prosecutor was at liberty to raise all objections before the CMM court, which was likely to hear the bail application later this evening.

UNI XR/WS RL HT1728