Tripura High Court rejects Manik Sarkar’s plea to quash FIR over alleged remarks
The Tripura High Court has refused to quash the FIR against former Chief Minister Manik Sarkar over alleged remarks at an August 10 rally. The order allows the police probe to continue, with a chargesheet to follow if evidence supports a prima facie case.
- Oct 13, 2026,
- Updated Oct 13, 2026, 5:46 PM IST
The Tripura High Court on October 13 dismissed a petition filed by former Chief Minister and senior CPI(M) leader Manik Sarkar seeking to quash an FIR registered against him over alleged inflammatory remarks made at a party rally on August 10, 2026.
Advocate Raju Datta, appearing for the state government, said the High Court’s Division Bench rejected Sarkar’s plea, allowing the police investigation to proceed. The court also directed the investigating officer to conduct a proper investigation and file a chargesheet if sufficient evidence emerges.
According to Datta, the FIR was registered at West Agartala Police Station as Case No. 109/2026 on August 16, following a complaint lodged by Prabir Roy over statements allegedly made by Sarkar at a public programme six days earlier.
The complaint alleged that Sarkar had made remarks suggesting that the country and the state were being pushed towards a path of militant agitation. The complainant claimed that the statements could undermine the sovereignty of the country and the state and potentially create discord among communities.
Following the registration of the FIR, police initiated an investigation. Sarkar subsequently approached the High Court’s Division Bench, seeking to have the case quashed. His petition argued that the allegations were baseless and that the statements attributed to him did not disclose any cognisable offence.
Senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya appeared on behalf of Sarkar, while Datta represented the state government.
With the High Court declining to quash the FIR at this stage, the investigating agency can continue examining the allegations and collecting evidence. The investigating officer will have to assess the findings and submit a chargesheet if the investigation establishes a prima facie case, Datta said.
The dismissal of the petition does not establish the allegations against Sarkar as proven; the case will proceed through the investigation in accordance with the law.