The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing of the Narada sting operation case till Thursday. The CBI arrested three senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders including two Ministers and a former leader of the party in relation to the case on May 17.
Due to the adjournment, the TMC leaders - Transport Minister Firhad Hakim, Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra and former party leader Sovan Chatterjee - will have to remain in judicial custody till Thursday.
The petition filed by the CBI seeking transfer of trial and the recalling application filed by the four accused on the Calcutta High Court’s stay order on the bail granted by a CBI court will again be heard by the division bench of acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee on Thursday.
The CBI in its petition made West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Law Minister Malay Ghatak parties to the case. The Central agency also made TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee a party to the case. The division bench posted the CBI’s petition and the recall petitions filed by the four accused for hearing at 2 pm on Thursday.
Representing the CBI, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta told the division bench on Monday evening that an extraordinary situation had occurred with the Chief Minister of the State sitting on a dharna at the CBI office at Nizam Palace.
The CBI alleged that the State’s Law Minister was present at the CBI court with a large mob adding that the supporters of the accused gheraoed of the CBI office not allowing its officers to present the accused before the court. The four accused were presented before the CBI court virtually.
During the hearing on Wednesday, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who is representing three of the four accused, said that the protests were peaceful means of expressing outrage against the unlawful arrests. He also said that the Chief Minister appealed for peaceful protests and there was no incitement to violence.
Solicitor General argued that the accused must be kept in custody to ensure that they do not influence witnesses. He also said that all the four accused were highly influential.