Pappu in court on Thursday. Picture by Bishwarup Dutta

A city court on Thursday issued fresh arrest warrants against the Todis and Anil Saraogi in the Rizwanur Rahman case after the CBI pointed out a “controversy” related to the earlier arrest order.

The new warrants are to be executed by December 3.

The Calcutta Metropolitan Magistrate’s court had on October 31 issued non-bailable arrest warrants against the industrialist brothers and their relative Saraogi after they failed to appear in person in response to summons.

The magistrate had ordered the CBI to arrest the trio and produce them before him by November 11. But the investigating agency claimed the Todis and Saraogi could not be traced.

The trio later moved the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the execution of the warrants.

When the petition was first taken up on November 10, the bench headed by Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan adjourned the hearing till November 17 and verbally asked the CBI not to arrest the trio till the case was heard.

On November 17, the Chief Justice again adjourned the hearing till November 25 but did not say anything on whether the CBI could arrest the accused.

Lawyers representing Rizwanur Rahman’s family claimed that the Supreme Court had not extended the verbal stay and hence, the CBI was free to arrest the trio any time.

But lawyers for the Todis said the apex court’s “verbal stay” would continue till the disposal of the case.

When counsel for the CBI referred to the “controversy” on Friday, the magistrate issued fresh arrest warrants against the Todis and Saraogi. Legal experts said if the accused wanted to avoid arrest, they would have to appeal against the fresh warrants.

The three police officers accused in the case did not appear in the magistrate’s court on Thursday, as directed by the high court which had cancelled their bail on November 18.

Lawyers for Ajoy Kumar, Sukanti Chakraborty and Krishnendu Das told the magistrate that their clients had moved a special leave petition in the Supreme Court challenging the order cancelling their bail. The magistrate adjourned the hearing to November 24. The court also extended the judicial remand of the seventh accused, Pappu, till December 3.

In the high court, the Todis and Saraogi filed a petition seeking an order asking the authorities to return their passports. The trio’s passports were impounded last month. The case will be heard on November 27.