Overview
- The Calcutta High Court refused on Tuesday to suspend Arnab Dam’s life sentence pending appeal in the 2010 Silda attack that killed 24 Eastern Frontier Rifles personnel.
- A division bench of Justices Arijit Banerjee and Apurba Sinha Ray cited prima facie incriminating evidence, including in-court identifications by two injured eyewitnesses and one independent witness.
- The judges said the absence of a Test Identification Parade was not fatal because injured eyewitnesses can reliably recall faces after a major attack.
- The court found no undue delay in hearing Dam’s 2024 criminal appeal, so it said Article 21 right-to-liberty concerns did not arise at this stage.
- While denying relief, the court directed jail authorities to give Dam reasonable facilities to continue his PhD research from prison.