Narada sting case: No bail for 3 TMC leaders, former Bengal minister; Calcutta HC to continue hearing tomorrow

Narada sting case: No bail for 3 TMC leaders, former Bengal minister; Calcutta HC to continue hearing tomorrow

Aritra SinghaUpdated: Wednesday, May 19, 2021, 11:01 PM IST
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Calcutta High Court |

Kolkata: After a marathon hearing over the Narada sting case for over two hours, Calcutta High Court will hear the same again tomorrow at 2 pm under the division bench of Justice Rajesh Bindal (acting) and Arijit Banerjee.

According to TMC leader Madan Mitra’s lawyer Niranjan Bhattacharya, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has purposely delayed the matter so that they can keep the stay over the bail order on the TMC leaders.

“We have applied to vacate the stay on the bail of the arrested TMC leaders and the application has been accepted but Tushar Meheta purposely prolonged the case by going slow,” said the lawyer.

The CBI, however, was heard to keep the stay on bail as according to them if they are released, the heavyweight TMC leaders might influence the witnesses.

According to Calcutta High Court sources, the solicitor general had time-and-again appealed in the court that the CBI couldn’t investigate them on May 17 as TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee kept on shouting and interrupted the investigation.

“The presence of TMC ministers and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had a control over the investigation and TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee also interrupted the interrogation, so shifting the investigation to other state will help the investigation,” mentioned the sources also adding that the Solicitor General had also questioned the logic behind Mamata Banerjee’s presence at Nizam Palace for six hours and West Bengal law minister Malay Ghatak's presence at Bankshall Court while the probe was on.

Notably, CBI has added Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee and Law Minister Maloy Ghatak as parties to the ongoing case.

According to Calcutta High Court sources, counsels Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Siddharth Luthra citied health issues of the arrested leaders to seek bail which was not granted on Wednesday.

“Both the counsels claimed that if the heavyweight TMC leaders had to influence witnesses or run away from West Bengal then they could have done that long back but the CBI is forcefully trying to detain them. The counsels also citing age and health issues sought bail of the leaders which wasn’t granted,” added the sources.

Incidentally, the arrested TMC leaders Firhad Hakim, Madan Mitra, Subrata Mukherjee and former TMC minister Sovan Chatterjee continued to be in judicial custody even on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, CBI will send letter to West Bengal Assembly speaker Biman Bandhopadhyay over quizzing of the other leaders who were seen in the Narada sting operation namely TMC leaders Prasun Banerjee, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Saugata Roy and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.

It can be recalled that on May 17, the four heavyweight leaders including two West Bengal Ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, one TMC legislator Madan Mitra and another former TMC minister Sovan Chatterjee were arrested by the CBI, though the lower court had granted them bail but the Calcutta High Court had ordered stay on the interim bail.

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