
‘Right to life': Cal HC cites trial delay, grants bail to 2 in 2012 murder case
The duo, along with two others, had been accused of killing two of a Kolkata family and their two maids.
The murders of 48-year-old Dipak Bhattacharya, who ran a small cable TV business, his 78-year-old bedridden mother Gouri Bhattacharya, and their maids — Mayna Roy and Anima Mondal — took place on Sept 6, 2012. On Sept 9, police arrested four employees of Dipak for the crime. Munna Dhali, Nabu dhali, Rajesh Das and Sattar Mondal were accused of breaking into Dipak's Biren Roy (West) Road house and committing the murders.
They could not steal anything and fled as a phone started ringing in the house. Autopsy reports revealed that the victims' throat injuries were due to smothering and manual strangulation.
Recently, alleged mastermind Munna and Nabu approached the Calcutta High Court for bail. In Feb 2025, Rajesh was granted bail by a division bench and the high court had cited Article 21 then as well. During the hearing, the state had undertaken to examine five more witnesses and assured completion of probe within two months from Feb 24.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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On April 24, the high court turned down the bail plea of another co-accused, Sattar.
While hearing Munna and Nabu's bail pleas, the HC was told by their counsel that trial in the case had started on Sept 20, 2013, and only 44 witnesses had been examined in 12 years, with bleak chances of trial ending soon. Noting that there had been no progress in the trial, Justice Suvra Ghosh said: "Without touching the merits of the case and solely on the anvil of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, prayer for bail is allowed.
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