Narada Case: Calcutta HC Stays Bail Granted To Accused, All 4 Including WB Ministers To Remain In CBI Custody

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has stayed the bail granted to West Bengal ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, TMC MLA Madan Mitra, and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee. The accused will have to remain in judicial custody of CBI.

Earlier, Bankshall Court granted bail to the 4 accused after CBI arrested them in connection with the 2016 Narada sting operation case.

CBI moved to Calcutta High Court challenging the prior order while stating that they are unable to work properly and that their investigation is getting affected. The next hearing in the matter will take place on Wednesday, 19th May.

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TMC has alleged that CBI is playing foul. Meanwhile, as per inputs, the 4 accused Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad Hakim, Madan Mitra, and Sovan Chatterjee will be sent to presidency jail. The 4 will be kept in different rooms in the custody until the next hearing which is on Wednesday.

Previously, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had said that the court will decide on the matter while expressing disappointment over the arrests. The TMC supremo made these remarks after coming out of the CBI’s office at Nizam Palace in south Kolkata after nearly six hours.  

A virtual hearing was held at Bank shall Court in Kolkata over the arrests. The accused were virtually produced from Nizam Palace, before the court where they were granted bail.

Banerjee, who rushed to the CBI office earlier in the day following the arrests, said that she too should be arrested.

The TMC supporters later staged a protest against the arrests and pelted stones at the CBI office.

The TMC supporters, who demanded immediate release of the four arrested, also raised slogans against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the Centre and West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar.

TMC MP and the Chief Minister’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee said that they will fight this battle legally.

“I urge everyone to abide by the law & refrain from any activity that violates lockdown norms for the sake of the larger interest of Bengal and its people. We have utmost faith in the judiciary & the battle will be fought legally,” he tweeted.

West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra also lambasted the ruling party at the Centre over the arrests and alleged it to be a “political vendetta after outright rejection” by the people in the state assembly polls.

“Utter violation of Democratic Norms & Federalist Polity by Modi-Shah controlled CBI, arresting 2 Bengal Ministers WITHOUT Assembly Speaker’s permission as per protocol. Political Vendetta after outright REJECTION by people of Bengal. Reveals Neo-Fascist mindset of BJP-Sangh Parivar,” he tweeted.