Calcutta High Court grants ex-minister Aroop Biswas relief from coercive action in Messi event fiasco

Argentinian footballer Lionel Messi with former West Bengal Sports Minister Aroop Biswas. File | Photo credit: PTI

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday (June 10, 2026) granted interim protection to former Sports Minister and senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA from Tollygunge Aroop Biswas against any coercive action in the Lionel Messi incident case.

The case against Mr. Biswas was filed by organizer Satadru Datta alleging extortion, cheating and abuse of political influence. The event held in December 2025 at the Salt Lake Stadium ended in massive chaos and vandalism and led to great embarrassment for the ruling government on the international stage.

This is the first instance of relief granted by the High Court to any top TMC leader since the crackdown on them began following their massive election loss. Many top leaders have been jailed over the past month.

Mr. Biswas sought the court’s protection from any coercive action after an FIR was lodged against him.

However, Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya questioned Mr. Biswas as to why he did not turn up for questioning even after two separate notices were sent to him by the Bidhannagar police. The former Tollygunge MLA was also asked by the court to produce his passport and not leave the station without the court’s permission.

The court also ordered that Mr. Biswas appear for questioning at the police station once he is served with at least 48 hours’ notice. Justice Bhattacharyya also added that everyone was ashamed of how the chaos unfolded at Messi’s event.

As chaos unfolded at the event last year, the Sports Minister was immediately dismissed by the then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the organizer Mr. Datta was arrested. However, Mr Datta later accused him of being the downfall when Mr Biswas was responsible for the huge chaos at the event which led to Messi leaving the venue within minutes of arriving.

During Wednesday’s court proceedings, Mr. Datta’s lawyer said he had been coerced by Mr. Biswas into providing 22,000 free tickets, additional accreditation cards and proximity tickets.

“Once you give us protection, we will go tomorrow or the day after, whenever we are asked,” counsel for Mr. Biswas said while replying to Justice Bhattacharyya’s questions as to why the TMC leader did not turn up for questioning.

As pictures of Mr Biswas holding football legend Messi by the waist were shown in the courtroom, the judge also asked: “Is Mr Biswas Messi’s childhood friend? How did he do that? We felt embarrassed about the Messi fiasco.”

The court also asked why there was chaos in Kolkata in the presence of the sports minister when the same event was being organized smoothly in three other cities across India.

Published – 11 Jun 2026 03:15 IST