New Delhi: Satadru Dutta, the main organiser of Lionel Messi’s GOAT Tour of India, was granted bail on Monday, January 19, after spending 37 days in custody. Dutta was arrested by the Kolkata police in December last year for mismanagement during the Kolkata leg of Messi’s tour of India. Chaos broke out during Messi’s visit to the Salt Lake Stadium in the city after frustrated fans ransacked the stadium over not getting a proper glimpse of the iconic footballer.
Messi’s appearance at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata was cut short following the chaos as the star footballer’s team left the venue citing security lapses and crowd trouble. The incident took place on December 13, and Dutta, the sole organiser of Messi’s India tour, was arrested in Kolkata.
The Kolkata-based sports promoter was granted bail by the Bidhannagar district court on Monday. The court granted him bail on a bond of Rs 10,000 along with two security bonds. The court, which had earlier rejected Dutta’s bail plea, accepted the defence’s argument that there was no justification in keeping him in custody.
The court granted him bail, citing a lack of progress in the investigation. The prosecution strongly opposed the bail plea and argued that Dutta’s release could help him influence the investigation after coming out of jail. However, the court granted him interim bail.
Dutta was accused of large-scale mismanagement during the Kolkata leg of Messi’s GOAT tour of India. The prosecution claimed that Dutta made an unlawful gain of Rs 20 lakh from selling around 35,000 tickets for around Rs 19 crore for the event. The prosecution also claimed that government property worth Rs 2 crore was damaged during the chaos that broke out at the Salt Lake Stadium after Messi left the venue.
Dutta’s defence counsel, Saumyajit Raha, countered the claims by highlighting the Kolkata-based sports promoter’s track record in organising successful high-scale events across the country. Raha cited how the Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi legs of Messi’s India tour were conducted successfully by the organiser.
He also argued that Rs 22 crore generated from ticket sales of the event had already been frozen by the authorities. Raha also cited Dutta’s medical conditions to prove that his client has no intention of fleeing the country after being granted bail.
Why was Satadru Dutta arrested?
Dutta was arrested after disorder broke out during the Kolkata leg of Messi’s GOAT tour of India at the Salt Lake Stadium in the city. During his visit to the stadium, Messi was surrounded by politicians, their families and certain VIPs, blocking the view of normal fans, who waited hours in the stands to get a glimpse of their favourite footballer.
Messi’s team escorted the footballer out of the venue minutes after his entry due to the crowd trouble and security lapses. The Argentinian superstar’s early exit led to anger among the fans present inside the stadium, leading to complete chaos at the venue. The fans vandalised chairs and other stadium property to express their frustration.
In the aftermath of the chaos, Dutta was arrested by the Kolkata police after the West Bengal government ordered an investigation into the matter.