East Bengal footballers Sasthi Duley and Dipankar Roy, who were arrested for conspiracy in providing shelter to an alleged multiple murder-accused, were granted bail by the Calcutta high court on Tuesday.
A division bench, presided by Justice Nure Alam Chowdhury, directed the footballers to appear before the investigating officer once a week.
The bench observed that since the investigating officer has not expressed further need to interrogate the two players at this juncture, bail is being granted to them.
The two footballers were arrested on November 2 by the Kolkata Police after alleged multiple murder accused 'Hathkata' Dilip -- so known because of a severed hand -- was arrested from the village home of Duley in Hoogly district.
Dipankar reportedly had persuaded Sasthi to give shelter to the anti-social who is also allegedly accused in several abductions and criminal cases.
The two leading footballers, who had gone to Delhi to play for their club in the Durand Cup football tournament, were initially summoned by the Kolkata Police for interrogation and later arrested.
Appearing for Duley and Roy, advocate Joymalya Bagchi submitted that that the charges against the duo were bailable and the lower court had sent them to judicial custody despite the prosecution not opposing their bail plea.
He further submitted that as Duley and Roy are sportspersons of repute and would not abscond and had also cooperated with the investigating officers, they should be granted bail.
Bagchi also stated that Roy's sister is due to get married shortly and his presence is necessary at the marriage ceremony.
Sub-divisional judicial magistrate at Barrackpore, Gopal Karmakar, had remanded the two footballers, who were arrested on November 2, to judicial custody on Sunday.
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