"Heavens will not fall": Calcutta High Court stays WB police action against Suvendu Adhikari after raid

The Calcutta High Court on Friday slammed the West Bengal Police for its recent raid at the premises of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Leader Suvendu Adhikari and asked whether the police would have acted in similar fashion against any ruling party leader in the state..Justice Amrita Sinha censured the Police during the hearing of Adhikari's petition seeking action against the cops who had entered his office-cum-residence at Kolaghat on May 21.The plea also sought an order to restrain the authorities from attempting to trespass into the premises."Heavens will not fall if you wait for some days," the Court told the Police while restraining it from acting against Adhikari till June 17.The Court also stayed the investigation into the allegations related to which the raid was conducted..The Court questioned the "speed" of Police in conducting the raids as it remarked that when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force, only the Flying Squad can conduct such action."I wish you got such information regarding the ruling party leaders. Would you have shown such speed?," Justice Sinha asked.While restraining the police from any further action against the Leader of Opposition, the judge relied on an earlier order of a coordinate bench in which the the State Police has been directed not to take any coercive action against him without the Court's prior permission..Adhikari in his petition alleged that the raid was conducted at the behest of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government to disrupt his activities during the time of ongoing Lok Sabha elections.According to a report by the Indian Express, a large posse of policemen had searched Adhikari's house purportedly for a local miscreant who was absconding in a case. However, no one was arrested from the premises.The State today told the Court that police had received information about storage of arms and cash at the premises. It also submitted that the police was not aware about the premises being connected to Adhikari as the same is rented by a third party. It was also argued that Adhikari has nothing to do with the raid in question and that he cannot voice the cause of other people in this manner.In his petition, Adhikari alleged that the Police did not have any warrant to search the premises and had simply barged into it with a view to harass and cause disrepute to him.