KOLKATA: The Calcutta high court on Tuesday extended the interim protection from coercive action granted to former West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas till November 30.The protection was granted in connection with the chaos surrounding Lionel Messi’s event at Salt Lake Stadium in December last year, news agency PTI reported.Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya extended the protection while hearing Biswas’ plea seeking quashing of the criminal proceedings against him.The matter will next be heard on November 17.The state’s advocate general Surojit Nath Mitra submitted two reports before the court, prepared by the West Bengal DGP and the commissioner of Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate, as directed in an earlier order.The court clarified that the pendency of Biswas’ plea would not prevent the investigating agency from continuing its probe or filing a report before the jurisdictional magistrate.Biswas’ lawyers told the court that the former minister had appeared before the police on three occasions in compliance with summons issued to him.The high court granted Biswas interim protection from coercive action on June 10 while hearing his petition.At the time, Justice Bhattacharyya had criticised the failure to conduct the Kolkata event smoothly, noting that similar programmes featuring the Argentine football star had been organised successfully in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi, PTI reported.The court had also directed the Bidhannagar police commissioner to conduct an independent inquiry into the circumstances that led to the disruption of the event on December 13, 2025.The case stems from a complaint filed by event organiser Satadru Dutta, who accused Biswas of extortion, criminal intimidation and misuse of political and official influence.Dutta also alleged that complimentary tickets, accreditation cards and close-proximity passes meant for the event were diverted and distributed for financial gain.Dutta, whose company organised the Messi event, was arrested on December 13 over alleged mismanagement at the Salt Lake Stadium show.He remained in custody for more than a month before being granted bail on January 19.(With agency inputs)
