Calcutta High Court on Wednesday stayed for two weeks the contempt proceedings drawn against additional director-general of police Ranjit Mohanty by the special court hearing the American Center attack case.

While passing his interim order, Justice S.P. Mitra also directed the officer in charge of investigations into the Khadim?s owner abduction case to produce the chargesheet of the case before him on December 23.

In both cases, Aftab Ansari and some of his associates are the main accused.

While the trial of the American Center case is pending before a special court inside Alipore Central jail, the trial of the abduction case is going on at a special court within Presidency jail premises.

The cases are being heard inside the jails for security reasons. According to the police, Aftab Ansari is an international criminal and some foreign agents are conspiring to free him from jail.

Wednesday?s order was passed after a plea by Mohanty sought quashing of the contempt proceedings against him. Special judge Pyarilal Dutta, who is hearing the American Center case, had drawn the contempt proceeding against the senior Indian Police Service officer for declining to produce the chargesheet of the abduction case before him, after being instructed to do so.

While the trial of the American Center case was going on, Aftab Ansari and his counsel wanted the investigating officer of the case, Mohammad Abdul Rashid, to be produced as witness.

When the investigating officer came to the court, special judge Dutta asked him to produce the charge-sheet of the abduction case before him.

The officer refused to comply, saying his senior officers had not permitted him to produce the charge-sheet before the court. The special judge then asked Mohanty to produce the same document. The officer refused to obey. The judge then drew up contempt proceedings against him.

Appearing for Mohanty, Sudipto Moitra and Sutapa Sanyal challenged the legality of the order. Moitra said: ?Since the abduction case is pending with another special court, the judge has no authority to direct the investigating agency or agent to bring the charge-sheet before him.?