On Tuesday the Calcutta High Court granted interim protection from coercive police action, including arrest, to Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Kirti Azad. A single‑judge bench headed by Justice Kaushik Chanda issued the relief in an extortion case that has been registered against the cricketer‑turned‑politician. The court made clear that the protection is conditional on Azad’s full cooperation with the investigation being conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police.
The bench also directed that, if necessary, the CID could summon Azad for interrogation by serving him a notice at least seven days in advance. CID counsel informed the court that Azad had already been summoned for questioning at the agency’s headquarters in Bhabani Bhaban, South Kolkata, on 22 September.
According to the complaint, a businessman was called to Azad’s bungalow in Durgapur on 21 May last year. An associate of the MP allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh from the businessman, who said he was threatened with the closure of his cooking‑gas business if he did not pay. The incident was reportedly recorded on audio, leading to an FIR that was filed about 15 months after the alleged event. Azad has denied the allegations, calling them a conspiracy to malign him, and has claimed he was not in Durgapur on the day. He submitted flight details to support this claim and his counsel highlighted the delay in filing the FIR and the lack of evidence that Azad received the money. The MP also seeks to have the FIR quashed.
The court’s interim protection will remain in force as long as Azad cooperates with the CID’s investigation. The planned questioning on 22 September is part of the ongoing probe into the extortion allegations. Azad is one of eight Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha members who remain aligned with former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
