Giving relief to Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday restrained the Enforcement Directorate from taking any action against him till the next date of hearing.
The High Court in its order has told the agency that it would not take any action on the production warrant issued against Mondal by the lower court.
While hearing the petition filed by Anubrata Mondal in the High Court today, court took on record the statement given by the Enforcement Directorate.
The Court has fixed the date of January 9 for hearing of the case.
The ED had got permission from a Delhi Court to bring senior Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal to the National capital for a face-to-face questioning with key accused Anup Majhi who has been locked up in Tihar jail.
Enforcement Directorate wanted this permission in probing the case of West Bengal cattle smuggling case.
Anubrata Mondal was currently in Asansol jail in connection with another case which was registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
It was after the meeting between the Home Minister and the Chief Minister of Bengal had a one to one meeting that the decision from the Rouse Avenue Court came.
The Home Minister was in Kolkata to attend the Eastern Zonal Council Conference. Banerjee also gave Shah a ride in her official car.
The sudden meeting between the two
raised a few questions , including many leaders from the state BJP unit said that this would create a wrong signal to the party’s state unit which has been taking on the ruling TMC over a number of issues.
Anubrata Mondal is an accused in the two major cases (the coal scam and cattle smuggling cases) which are being investigated by the ED and the CBI.
The investigation agencies believe that the the money received through these scams and cases has been sent abroad through hawala transactions.
As per the sources, Mondal has decided to will move Delhi High Court against the local court’s verdict .
It goes without saying that in case there is no stay order, the agency is likely to take him to Delhi soon.
The Delhi court order has been welcomed by the West Bengal BJP . The state party Party President Sukanta Majumdar said that Mondal did things beyond imagination and must face the ire. “What he did was beyond imagination.
The party state President also said that Mondal must be brought to justice. Adding that the Tihar jail in Delhi is the right place for him.
The case of cattle smuggling was first lodged in Delhi as many senior BSF leaders were allegedly involved in the crime.
The investigation agencies have claimed that the cattle smuggling mafia led by Anup Majhi used to bribe a section of BSF officials along with politicians like Mondal to send thousands of cows to Bangladesh, which has high demand for meat.
The action was taken against him after the after Amit Shah became the home minister. Its order for an investigation was earlier challenged in Calcutta High Court, but the court upheld the government’s decision.