West Bengal: ED investigation results in loss of prestige, say Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim

Kolkata: Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Firhad Hakim on Saturday said that he is not afraid of going to jail but of losing his social prestige.

Addressing the media, Hakim alleged that losing social prestige is inevitable when one goes through the investigation process of the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

“I am not afraid of facing any kind of investigation and not scared of going to jail, but everyone has some social position and prestige. Several saints of Bengal have been in jail. But everyone is scared of loss of that social prestige and while ED starts their investigation, media starts their own trial,” mentioned Hakim.

Earlier on August 8, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court's chief justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bhardwaj directed the ED to be a party in the PIL regarding the assets and property details of 19 heavyweight leaders which also includes seven ministers.

On August 10, some ministers of the Trinamool Congress government also held a press conference and Hakim said that the PIL stands for ‘Political Interest Litigation’. State education minister Bratya Basu mentioned that in the PIL not just TMC leaders but it also has a mention of Congress and CPI (M) leaders.

On August 12, Hakim along with Arup Roy and Jyotipriyo Mullick moved the Calcutta High Court appealing the court to ‘reconsider’ its direction of including the ED in the asset case.

The next hearing is scheduled on September 12.

Published on: Saturday, August 13, 2022, 08:44 PM IST