Truck driver Gurjant Singh, who was arrested for an alleged attempt on the life of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, was today granted interm bail, though it would be some time before he could leave for his home state Punjab.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Gopal Kumar Dalmia granted interim bail on two sureties of Rs 2,500 each to Gurjant, who hails from Sangrur district in Punjab, after the CID placed the case diary and the mechanical test report of the truck which stated that the brakes of the vehicle had failed as claimed by Gurjant.
The judge granted interim bail till September 8 and directed Gurjant to meet investigating officer of the State CID once a week at the CID headquarters in Kolkata, nearly 100 kms from here.
The judge also directed that the accused was not to leave West Bengal without the permission of the court.
Gurjant's truck had hit the escort car of Ms. Banerjee which in turn hit her car at Kolaghat when she was returning to Kolkata after addressing a rally at Maoist-dominated Lalgarh on August nine.
Ms. Banerjee was flung against the dashboard and suffered injuries in the chest.
Appearing for Gurjant, counsel Monojit Singh prayed for bail submitting that the accused hailed from Punjab and had no intention to hurt Ms. Banerjee, as had been alleged in an FIR by Trinamool Congress MP Subhendu Adhikari.
He stated that it was a clear case of accident as the brakes of the 10-wheeled multi-axle truck had failed.
Gurjant, a father of three children, had first been arrested on the night of the accident on August nine and charged with rash and negligent driving.
He was granted bail by the Tamluk court the next day and he had stayed back at a local dhaba as his truck was still in the custody of the police.
On August 11, Gurjant was rearrested on the charge of conspiracy and attempt to murder the Trinamool Congress supremo after Adhikari filed the FIR.
MLA from Budhlada in Punjab, who represents Gurjant's native village, had come over alongwith some of his neighbours and met the truck driver and assured of assistance.
Local Sikh community leaders had also pleaded with both the State government and Trinamool Congress leadership to withdraw the case of attempt to murder.
