Kolkata, June 23: The Kolkata High Court’s division bench upheld the previous order of a single-judge bench, granting interim protection to former West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas until August 17. This decision comes in light of allegations related to irregularities during the ‘Got India Tour’ event featuring football star Lionel Messi on December 13, 2025, at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Salt Lake, Kolkata. Reports indicated that the event faced chaos due to difficulties in managing the crowd, prompting Messi to leave early for safety reasons.
Biswas, who served as the Sports and Power Minister in the previous cabinet led by Mamata Banerjee, has been accused of mismanagement, leading the West Bengal government to initiate an investigation into the matter. Following this, Biswas approached the Kolkata High Court, seeking interim protection from police action, including arrest. On June 10, Justice Sougata Bhattacharya’s single-judge bench granted him interim protection until August 17, stating that the police would continue their investigation as per the law. If any notice is issued, the petitioner must present himself before the investigating agency.
Subsequently, Shatadru Dutta, one of the event organizers, challenged the single-judge bench’s order granting interim protection to Biswas before the division bench of the Kolkata High Court. The hearing took place before Acting Chief Justice Tapabrata Chakraborty and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen. At the end of the hearing, the division bench decided to uphold the previous order granting interim protection to Biswas until August 17.
During the proceedings, Dutta’s lawyer argued that although the single-judge bench had previously granted interim protection, the charges against Biswas were serious enough to warrant its removal. Dutta’s lawyer also claimed that the police had been sluggish in their investigation, showing no substantial progress since the FIR was filed. In response, Biswas’s lawyer questioned Dutta’s authority to challenge the single-judge bench’s order, asserting that Dutta had no right to question the progress of the investigation following a specific court order.
After hearing arguments from both sides, Justice Chakraborty inquired whether Biswas was cooperating with the investigation and presenting himself before the investigating officer. The state’s lawyer confirmed that Biswas was indeed cooperating.
The division bench then stated that the interim protection granted by the single-judge bench would remain in effect until August 17. The next hearing in this matter is scheduled for July 2.
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