Calcutta HC grants anticipatory bail to CPI-M leader accused of sexual harassment

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to veteran CPI-M leader and former legislator Tanmoy Bhattacharya, who has been accused of sexual harassment by a woman journalist associated with an independent YouTube news channel in October.

The development of his being granted anticipatory bail by a division bench of Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice Gaurang Kanth has come as a double relief for Bhattacharya, as the CPI-M, on December 14, revoked the suspension from the party which was imposed on whom the very day the lady scribe made this allegation through a FaceBook live.

After an FIR was registered against Bhattacharya at Baranagar Police Station by the woman scribe, the veteran CPI-M leader approached the Calcutta High Court with the anticipatory bail plea.

The division bench granted his anticipatory bail against a personal bond of Rs 10,0000. However, at the same time, it has imposed certain restrictions on him.

The first condition is that Bhattacharya should not directly or indirectly contact the complainant. The second condition is that he will have to fully cooperate with the police in the process of investigation, and thirdly, he will have to report to the local police station once a month.

Since the beginning Bhattacharya had been vehemently denying the accusation of sexual harassment. He has also claimed that the charges of sexual harassment against him were a "well-planned plot" to malign his image.

"I am a Communist and will continue to remain so till my last breadth. If I am proven innocent, I will continue as a CPI-M activist. If I am held guilty by my party and expelled, I will remain a Communist till my last day. Even if I cannot continue as a CPI-M activist, I will continue as a Communist," Bhattacharya had said earlier.