Three CPI(M) Leaders surrender before the Court

Agartala, Mar 01, 2025, By Our Correspondent

Agartala: Mar 01: In 2015, the Left Front government was in power in Tripura. On September 2, 2015, the CPI(M)’s trade union wing called for a statewide strike in support of their cause. CPI(M) workers and supporters across the state staged pickets in support of the strike. On that day, as usual, Judge Ruhidas Pal of the Bilonia Court arrived at his workplace. Suddenly, CPI(M) leaders Tapas Dutta, Trilokesh Sinha, and Babul Debnath, along with their supporters, began picketing within the court premises in support of the strike. At one point, CPI(M) supporters, under the guise of picketing, forcefully entered the court and physically attacked Judge Ruhidas Pal.

In response to this incident, the then Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) initiated a suo-motu case against CPI(M) leaders Tapas Dutta, Trilokesh Sinha, and Babul Debnath. Following an investigation, the police filed a charge sheet in the court. After the trial, the Bilonia Court convicted the accused under sections 447 (criminal trespass) and 353 (assaulting or obstructing a public servant in the discharge of their duty), sentencing them to two months and two years in prison, respectively. The accused appealed against the verdict in the district court, which upheld the sentence. They then took their appeal to the High Court, which also maintained the original sentence. Subsequently, the accused appealed to the Supreme Court.

On February 18, 2025, the Supreme Court heard their appeal and scheduled the next hearing for March 18, 2025. The Court directed the accused to surrender and submit an affidavit confirming their surrender before the next hearing. In compliance with the Supreme Court’s order, the three CPI(M) leaders—Tapas Dutta, Trilokesh Sinha, and Babul Debnath—surrendered to the court on Saturday. According to Bilonia’s public prosecutor Kishore Majumder, they will remain in jail until the next hearing. Despite being released on bail earlier after filing a writ petition in the Supreme Court, the court’s order has placed them back in jail, where they will remain until March 18. The final decision will be made after the hearing.