Delhi HC protects BJP's Mukul Roy from coercive action

The Delhi High Court Thursday granted BJP leader Mukul Roy protection from coercive action for 10 days to enable him to move a trial court in Kolkata for an anticipatory bail in connection with a cash recovery case there.

While granting the relief to him, Justice A K Chawla asked Roy to join the investigation in the case and to be available for questioning on Friday.

With the direction, the court disposed of the BJP leader's plea challenging the notices issued to him by Kolkata police, represented by senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, to appear before it for questioning in the case.

Roy, represented by senior advocate Arvind Nigam and advocate Sameer Kumar, had claimed that the notices were issued to him on a West Bengal address when he was actually residing in Delhi. The claim was opposed by the Kolkata Police.

The case pertains to the recovery of Rs 19 lakh from a person in Burrabazar area of Kolkata on July 31, 2018, leading to his arrest along with a few others. Roy's phone number allegedly featured in one of the arrested persons' call list.

On July 29, a Kolkata city court issued an arrest warrant against Roy in connection with the case after the Burrabazar police station moved a plea alleging he was not cooperating with the investigation.