Calcutta HC upholds ED move to shift Anubrata Mondal to Delhi

 The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the TMC leader for moving Calcutta High Court after he failed to get relief in a similar plea moved before Delhi High Court on Friday

Anubrata Mondal.: File Picture

Tapas Ghosh   |   TT  |   Calcutta   |   05.03.23 :  A special bench of Justice Bibek Chaudhuri of Calcutta High Court, which was set up by Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava, on Saturday refused to stay the Enforcement Directorate’s move to take Trinamul leader Anubrata Mondal to Delhi for interrogation in the cattle-smuggling case.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on Mondal for moving Calcutta High Court after he failed to get relief in a similar plea moved before Delhi High Court on Friday.

Moving the petition, Mondal’s counsel Kishore Datta alleged that the ED assured Delhi High Court that it would not implement its decision to shift Mondal to Delhi for interrogation in the cattle-smuggling case till March 17.

The assurance was made during a hearing of Mondal’s petition seeking a stay on the ED’s decision to take him to Delhi. The case for this has been fixed by Delhi High Court on March 17, Datta claimed.

“But now the ED is not keeping its assurance and taking steps to shift Mondal to Delhi (for interrogation) from Asansol jail,” Datta said. Justice Chaudhuri asked whether ED’s assurance was recorded in court or it was verbal.

After Datta told the court it was verbal, the judge said: “So you are moving this court without any recorded document.” Justice Chaudhuri then said: “How the court can give a decision in your favour without any record of assurance.”

After the hearing ended, the judge said that the prayer for granting interim relief, in this case, did not arise. However, given Mondal’s state of health, the judge asked that the Birbhum Trinamul strongman be taken to Delhi by air. It had earlier been decided that Mondal would be taken to Delhi by train.