Cal HC’s div-bench upheld its single bench order, dismissing Anubrata Mondal’s plea

Kolkata, March 29 : A division bench of Calcutta High Court Tuesday upheld its single bench order, which refused to grant Trinamool Congress (TMC) Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal protection from arrest in the cattle smuggling case, which is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The division bench headed by chief justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj orally observed that there was no error in the order of the single bench. In the single bench justice Rajasekhar Mantha had dismissed the plea of Mondal after noting that he had travelled outside Bolpur on several occasions and that his aliments as examined by the Medical Board are not that serious that would requirement confinement to his home On March 11, Justice Rajasekhar Mantha had observed that the facts of the case did not warrant interference by the court and had dismissed Mondal’s petition seeking protection from any coercive action by the CBI. Challenging this order, the TMC leader moved the division bench of the high court. The division bench also further observed that the instant writ petition contains disputed questions of facts. Accordingly, liberty was granted to the appellant to approach the appropriate forum and establish his claim in accordance with law. Mondal’s lawyers argued before the bench that he is suffering from a variety of ailments and prayed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) be asked to question him through video conferencing from his residence at Bolpur in Birbhum. Mondal, who is a powerful politician of the ruling party has been under the CBI scanner after his name was brought up during the case investigation by several accused persons and for this the CBI sent several summon notices, (four occasions) and every time he skipped. The central agency had on September 21, 2020, registered a case against BSF Commandant Satish Kumar, three private persons and several others over allegations of illegal cattle trade along the West Bengal-Bangladesh border in connivance with public servants. The alleged kingpin in the scam, Mohammad Enamul Haque, was arrested from New Delhi in November 2020. PC BM