Tuesday, February 7 2006 16:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury, accused in a double murder case, was today allowed to enter his home district of Murshidabad by the Calcutta High Court.

A division bench comprising Justice Amit Talukdar and Justice S P Mitra relaxed Chowdhury's bail condition, allowing him to enter Murshidabad district, after hearing his application.

The other conditions that his passport would remain with the police and that he would have to inform it about his whereabouts would continue.

The MP's counsels, Sekhar Basu and Joymalyo Bagchi stated before the court their client had diligently abided by the conditions imposed by the court, but with the West Bengal assembly elections around the corner, he would need to enter his constituency for campaigning.

They also submitted in order to serve the people who had elected him to the Lok Sabha, Chowdhury needed to enter his constituency.

Appearing for the state, public prosecutor Kaji Safiullah opposed the plea for relaxation claiming that Chowdhury could tamper with evidence in the murder case.

Hearing both the parties, the court granted the plea.The division bench had on December 23 granted bail to the Congress MP after he remained in custody for more than a month, but asked him not to enter Murshidabad district except for attending trial.

Chowdhury was arrested from his official residence in New Delhi on November 19 for his alleged complicity in the murder of restauranteur Sheikh Hanif and his son Laltu at Baharampore on July 24.