The Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nisith Pramanik, is set to appear before the Supreme Court on January 12, seeking anticipatory bail in connection with an attempt-to-murder case lodged against him in 2018. The plea challenges the recent decision of the Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench of the Calcutta High Court, which denied Pramanik anticipatory bail.

The bench hearing the case, composed of Justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal, has issued a notice to the West Bengal government and requested senior advocate PS Patwalia, who is representing Pramanik, to serve a copy of the petition to the state counsel. The Supreme Court has listed the plea for a hearing on Friday.

During the brief hearing, Patwalia emphasized Pramanik's status as a Member of Parliament and highlighted the volatile political situation in West Bengal. Patwalia argued that without protection, Pramanik may face arrest and pleaded with the court to grant him anticipatory bail.

Pramanik's attempt-to-murder case dates back to 2018 when he was with the Trinamool Congress. The incident involved a group of individuals firing upon Trinamool Congress workers, resulting in injuries to one person. Pramanik, who later switched allegiance to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in February 2019, refuted allegations of orchestrating the violence.

The Calcutta High Court's decision on January 4, denying anticipatory bail, prompted Pramanik to approach the Supreme Court. Patwalia informed the bench that the high court had scheduled further hearings for January 22, and there is a risk of Pramanik's arrest before that date without protection.

Despite initially planning to hear Pramanik's petition next week, the Supreme Court decided to expedite the process, listing the matter for January 12.