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Narada Case: HC Defers Hearing Due to ‘Unavoidable Circumstances’

The court was adjourned on Wednesday after hearing arguments by the CBI, Centre, and the Bengal government.

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The Calcutta High Court has deferred hearing in the Narada scam case that was scheduled for Thursday, 20 May, due to “unavoidable circumstances”, ANI reported.

Following the deferral, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Madan Mitra’s lawyer sent an e-mail to the registrar, urging the formation of another division bench for the purpose.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), during the hearing on Wednesday, 19 May, had sought the Narada scam case to be transferred outside the state, while alleging that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her leaders are ‘obstructing CBI officials from carrying out their duties’.

TMC leaders, on their part, refuted the CBI’s allegations.

The CBI also sought police custody of the four TMC leaders who were arrested on Monday, 17 May, in the case – Bengal Ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra, and Sovan Chatterjee.

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What Had Happened in HC

A Bench of acting Chief Justice of Calcutta HC Rajesh Bindal and Justice Ajit Banerjee had heard the matter on Wednesday, during which the CBI had also petitioned to make Banerjee, the state’s Law Minister Moloy Ghatak, and party leader Kalyan Banerjee party in the matter.

Representing the CBI, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta reportedly said, “There are circumstances that are extraordinary, unusual, which, in my memory, have not happened in court. The shocking facts have been placed on record,” referring to the violence that erupted outside the CBI office in Kolkata after the TMC leaders were taken into custody.

Chief Minister Banerjee had gone on to sit on a Dharna, demanding to be arrested along with the leaders. Following the protests, the TMC leaders were granted bail by a local court.

However, in a late-night development, the Calcutta High Court stayed the bail granted to them.

In the hearing, the court stated that it had stayed the bail order only on the consideration that “maybe the mob pressure pressurised the court to grant bail (sic).”

Offering defence, Senior Advocate AM Singhvi highlighted, “The delicious irony made by the so-called premier agency is that they argued the case here without serving any notice on us.”

Adding that, no court can stay interim-bail without giving notice to the accused.

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What Is the Narada Case?

In 2016, editor and managing director of Narada News portal, Mathew Samuel, broadcasted a sting video right before the West Bengal Assembly elections, in which several TMC leaders were allegedly seen taking bribes.

The purported video footage of the sting operation surfaced before the 2016 Assembly polls.

The CBI lodged an FIR in April 2017 following a court order, naming 12 top TMC leaders, including MPs and West Bengal ministers, and an IPS officer.

(This is a developing story. It will be updated with more details.)

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Topics:  West Bengal   Narada Scam   Calcutta HC 

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