HC disposes of as infructuous anticipatory bail plea of Vikram

The Calcutta High Court today disposed of as infructuous an anticipatory bail prayer by actor Vikram Chatterjee, arrested in connection with the death of model Sonika Chauhan.

A division bench of justices Dipankar Dutta and D P Dey observed that the state has done its duty in accordance with the law in arresting the accused and said that it was not an exceptional case.

It disposed of as infructuous the bail of Vikram, who has been slapped with culpable homicide charge, since he has already been arrested.

The court also cautioned against media trial in connection with the case, which has received wide publicity. The bail prayer, filed in early June, was mentioned by Vikram's lawyers before the division bench on July 7, when the court fixed the date of hearing on July 13.

Charges against the actor had been changed from that of causing death by negligence, a bailable charge, to that of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which is a non- bailable charge offence, following which the anticipatory bail prayer was filed before the high court.

Kolkata Police officials, however, arrested Vikram on the night of July 6 from a place near his residence at Kasba in the southern part of the city.

Vikram's counsels had moved the division bench the day after, complaining that the police arrested him during the pendency of his anticipatory bail prayer.

Vikram was driving Sonika home after a party on April 29 when the car crashed into a pillar on the footpath of Rash Behari Avenue in south Kolkata. The actor is at present in judicial custody following a three-day police remand.