High Court transfers Madan Mitra’s bail plea to city sessions court

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court today directed that the Chief Judge of the city sessions court would hear the bail prayer of West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra in the Saradha scam after the CBI sought transfer of the plea from Alipore district court. Accepting CBI’s objection to the chief judge of Alipore district court hearing the bail application of Mitra, Justice R K Bag directed that the matter be transferred to the city sessions court within 72 hours, i.e by Monday.  Mitra is in judicial custody following his arrest in  December. The CBI had moved the high court seeking transfer of the bail prayer of Mitra from Alipore Court, where it was scheduled to be heard on May 11. The agency expressed apprehension that a fair hearing might not take place before the Alipore district court and prayed that the bail petition be transferred to any other competent court. The CBI counsel pointed out to some of the orders of the court which it claimed were too lenient without any substantive reason. Mitra’s counsel submitted that the CBI’s allegations were baseless and there was no reason for its apprehensions. Justice Bag directed that the Chief Judge of city sessions court here would hear the matter. Mitra was arrested by CBI on December 12 last year. His bail prayers were rejected earlier by the district court.