Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee speaks during a public rally in Bankura district on April 12, 2023. , Photo Credit: PTI
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday summoned Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on the basis of an order of the Calcutta High Court. school job-for-bribery scam,
The summons by the CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch on April 16 was served to Mr Banerjee at 1.45 pm, while the Supreme Court had sent summons earlier in the day. stay on execution of high court Orders by April 24.
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Reacting to the developments, Mr Banerjee said the summons to him despite a stay by the top court amounts to “contempt of court”.
“In their desperation to ‘harass’ and ‘target’ me, the BJP exposed the CBI and ED in contempt of court! The Supreme Court this morning stayed the Calcutta High Court order allowing central agencies to summon me. Nevertheless, the ‘summons’ was delivered by hand today at 1:45 pm. critical situation! The Trinamool leader had tweeted.
Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court, in an order on April 13, ordered that all “aspects indicated above, including Abhishek Banerjee’s public speech, should also not be left out of investigation by the CBI and, if necessary, by the ED”.
A division bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala on Monday decided to hear the petition on April 24, and stayed the High Court Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s direction that Mr. Banerjee and Kuntal Ghosh, an accused ED and CBI can be questioned in the case, and such “questioning should be done soon”.
Stay was given around 11.15
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“The petition was in the mention list. Dr. AM Singhvi has advertised the contents of the order and directions passed by which ED and CBI have been directed to file a report in connection with the investigation in connection with a public speech by Abhishek Banerjee. List on April 24, 2023. Till the next date of listing, all proceedings in respect of the directions contained in the impugned order against the petitioner shall remain stayed,” the apex court ordered.
MLA arrested, third in job scam
In another development, CBI arrested Jiban Krishna Saha on MondayThe Trinamool Congress MLA from Burwan in Murshidabad is caught in a recruitment scam.
Mr Saha is the third Trinamool Congress MLA to be arrested by the central probe agencies in the recruitment scam after former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and MLA Manik Bhattacharya.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee termed the arrest of the MLAs as the BJP’s “game plan” to reduce the Trinamool Congress’ tally in the Assembly.
CBI officials were conducting searches at Mr. Saha’s premises for the last three days and recovered five bags containing documents near the boundary wall of his residence. The MLA had allegedly thrown his mobile phone in a pond in his premises, which was recovered by the CBI after much effort.
Mr. Saha was sent to four days’ CBI custody by a Kolkata court.