The Bar Association has already filed 72 bail and anticipatory bail petitions in this regard in the High Court.

Uttam Mazumdar, vice-president of the association, said, “Advocates had started filing affidavits in the HC since the third week of December. The court re-opened on January 7.”

On Tuesday, BUPC leader Seikh Sufian said Nandigram police had arrested 28 of their supporters in connection with old cases and 20 others have been remanded in jail custody.

He alleged that the police had arrested the BUPC supporters with a political motivation and falsely implicated them.

Mazumdar said, “About 5,000 villagers have been implicated in cases under the Arms Act, which includes murder, looting, arson apart from various criminal offences in 2007.”

Earlier, in March 2007, while violence continued unabated in Nandigram, the Bar Association had resolved to provide free legal assistance to the people of Nandigram, he said.

After the “recapture” of Nandigram between October and November by CPM cadres, Nandigram police had initiated investigation into old criminal cases.

They arrested a few persons who are allegedly involved in criminal cases.