“Violence has become common in West Bengal”, SC grants 5-day protection to BJP Candidate Arjun Singh

The Supreme Court today granted BJP candidate Arjun Singh protection from arrest from today till May 28 enabling him to be present during counting of votes on May 23..Arjun Singh, who is contesting from Barrackpore, had moved the Court today seeking protection from arrest and had sought an urgent hearing of the matter. Singh who was formerly a Trinamool Congress leader had recently joined the BJP..He had alleged that a number of cases were registered against him in quick succession by the West Bengal Police. He claimed that this act was an act of political vindictiveness and he was being prevented from being present at the time of counting of votes..Singh, represented by Senior Counsel Ranjit Kumar, highlighted that the lawyers in the State have been on a strike since April 25..The Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and MR Shah agreed to hear the petition today itself when the case was mentioned in the morning. Upon taking up the case just before lunch today, the Court agreed to grant protection to Singh from today to May 28. The Court added,.“Thereafter the protection granted shall cease to operate and govt may take action in accordance with the law.”.As parting observations, Justice Arun Mishra said that persons who indulge in violence do not belong to any specific party but join political parties in power to commit violence. Justice Mishra added,.“Violence has become common in West Bengal. Sometimes people fight for no reason or issues.”.Read the Order:.Bar & Bench is available on WhatsApp. For real-time updates on stories, click here to subscribe to our WhatsApp.