Suvendu Adhikari moves Calcutta HC ahead of nomination, seeks full list of cases against him

Kolkata, March 19 (IANS) Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a comprehensive list of criminal cases pending against him.

Adhikari, who is contesting from the Bhabanipur and Nandigram constituencies this time, has sought the court’s intervention ahead of filing his nomination papers. He has already begun campaigning in Bhabanipur, while also taking legal steps to secure clarity on his disclosures.

In his petition, the BJP leader claimed that the police have failed to furnish precise information on the total number of cases registered against him. As per the rules of the Election Commission of India, candidates are required to submit an affidavit in Form 26 at the time of filing the nomination papers.

This affidavit mandates the disclosure of detailed information regarding all pending criminal cases, along with personal details.

With no definitive information available, Adhikari has sought directions from the court. The matter is expected to come up for hearing later this week.

The development comes in the context of multiple cases filed against the leader in recent years. In December 2022, Justice Rajasekhar Mantha of the Calcutta High Court had directed that no new FIRs be registered against him without prior permission of the court.

However, on October 24, 2025, Justice Jay Sengupta vacated this protection, observing that such interim relief could not continue indefinitely. At the same time, the court granted partial relief by quashing 15 cases against Adhikari, terming them baseless or politically motivated.

Subsequently, a fresh case was registered in connection with an alleged attack on his convoy in Chandrakona in West Midnapore district. In that matter, the High Court granted him interim protection until February 19, 2026.

In view of these developments, Adhikari has once again moved the court, seeking comprehensive and updated details of all pending cases against him before filing his nomination papers.

–IANS

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