The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted interim protection to former West Bengal sports minister Aroop Biswas from any coercive action in a case related to the chaos at the Lionel Messi event at Salt Lake Stadium in December. Granting protection to Biswas, the court said that while similar programmes showcasing the Argentine star were seamlessly organised in three other metros -- Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi -- the failure to smoothly conduct the event in Kolkata left a blot on the city's football-loving image.
Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya directed Biswas, who did not comply with two notices sent by the Bidhannagar police to appear before it for questioning, not to leave station without the court's permission. The former minister was directed to submit his passport to the trial court within seven days. The high court also directed him to appear before the probe agency on a notice by it, which is to be served at least 48 hours prior. It said that no coercive action should be taken against Biswas till August 17 or further order, whichever is earlier. Justice Bhattacharyya also directed the commissioner of Bidhannagar Police to conduct an independent inquiry as to why the event could not be organised properly on December 13, 2025, and submit a report within four weeks.
During the hearing, the judge said everyone was ashamed as Messi had to leave the Salt Lake stadium much before the scheduled time due to a security concern. Too many people had entered the ground that day, and the petitioner was the sports minister then, the court observed. "Thousands of Messi fans purchased tickets to get a glimpse of their hero, but his early exit shattered their dreams," the court said. Observing that the Messi event in Kolkata turned into a fiasco, Justice Bhattacharyya said, "Similar programmes were organised in Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi seamlessly. Failure to organise the event here left a blot on the image of Kolkata."
This court cannot shut its eyes to such a fiasco, the judge said and posted the matter for further hearing on August 4. Complainant Satadru Dutta, the organiser of the Messi event, has accused Aroop Biswas of extortion and criminal intimidation, abuse of official and political influence, illegal diversion, monetisation and sale of complimentary tickets for the programme for wrongful gain. Dutta's lawyer told the court that Biswas had taken 22,000 complimentary tickets from the event organiser out of the Salt Lake stadium's total seating capacity of 70,000. In a complaint at Bidhannagar South police station, Dutta alleged that he had to hand over a huge number of complimentary passes, accreditation cards and close proximity passes to Biswas, which were wrongfully distributed for financial gain.
Advocate General Surojit Nath Mitra, representing the state, told the court that two notices were served upon Biswas for appearance before the investigating officer, but he did not comply. Opposing Biswas's plea for protection from coercive action, he stated that the former sports minister was not entitled to the protection because he did not comply with the notices. Kishore Dutta, the lawyer representing Biswas, claimed that the police initiated the criminal proceedings without any preliminary investigation. The court noted that though the extortion and cheating charges against Biswas are cognisable and non-bailable, they carry a jail term of up to seven years under the BNS. "Hence, the court finds that at the stage of investigation, if the petitioner cooperates with the probe agency, he is entitled to protection," Justice Bhattacharyya said.
Complainant Satadru Dutta said he will move the division bench of the high court, challenging the single bench order. Speaking to a Bengali news channel, Dutta said that if required, he will knock on the doors of the Supreme Court. The event management company owner had been incarcerated for more than a month following his arrest in connection with the botched up event. Dutta was arrested on December 13 over alleged mismanagement at the Salt Lake stadium event that day and was granted bail on January 19.
What was supposed to be a marquee football spectacle turned into widespread violence and disorder at the stadium after Messi’s brief and tightly ring-fenced appearance, leaving large sections of the crowd frustrated. Angry fans, many of whom had paid Rs 4,000 to Rs 12,000 — and in some cases up to Rs 20,000 in the black market — for the event, indulged in vandalism at the venue after failing to get even a glimpse of their favourite superstar from Argentina.