Sri Vijaya Puram, August 4: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim relief to Sri Vijaya Puram Municipal Council (SVPMC) councillor Aziz-Ur-Rehman by staying, for the time being, the operation of the Calcutta High Court order that had cancelled his anticipatory and regular bail in the alleged caste-based remarks case.
The matter came up before the Supreme Court after Aziz-Ur-Rehman challenged the Calcutta High Court’s July 28 order, which had set aside the bail granted to him by the Sessions Court and directed him to surrender before the trial court within seven working days.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the Supreme Court stayed the operation of the High Court’s order on an interim basis and directed the respondents to file their replies. The matter has now been posted for further hearing on October 8, 2026.
With the interim stay in place, the High Court’s directions requiring Aziz-Ur-Rehman to surrender will remain in abeyance until further orders of the Supreme Court.
The criminal case relates to allegations that Aziz-Ur-Rehman made derogatory caste-based remarks against members of the Valmiki community following a local dispute in Sri Vijaya Puram. Based on a complaint lodged by Sher Singh and others, Aberdeen Police had registered a case under Sections 3(1)(r), 3(1)(u) and 3(2)(vii) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
In its July 28 judgment, the Calcutta High Court had observed that the Sessions Court had failed to adequately consider witness statements and other material collected during the investigation before granting anticipatory bail. Holding that a prima facie case existed under the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the High Court cancelled both the anticipatory and subsequent regular bail granted to the councillor and directed him to surrender before the competent court.
Following that order, Aziz-Ur-Rehman approached the Supreme Court by filing a Special Leave Petition seeking to set aside the High Court’s decision. With the Supreme Court now granting interim protection and calling for replies from the respondents, the legal proceedings will continue when the matter is taken up on October 8.
During the hearing, advocate Deep Kabir appeared on behalf of the petitioner. Court records initially reflected the appearance of Kunal Chatterjee, which was clarified during the proceedings.
