In West Bengal, Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday that Partha Chatterjee and his close associate should be punished “severely” in response to their extended judicial custody. In a veiled attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Adhikari told the press that Partha Chatterjee took a bribe of Rs 800-1000 crore under the influence of Banerjee.
“These people should be punished severely. A special trial should be conducted… under the influence of Mamata Banerjee, Partha Chatterjee took a bribe of Rs 800-1000 Cr and destroyed the dreams of unemployed youth,” he said. “It is shameful that the poor don’t have a place to live and politicians are purchasing apartments to hide their illicit funds. The corrupt individuals should be punished according to the law,” he added further.
In response to Banerjee referring to him as “Gaddar”, Adhikari stated that everyone knows who “Gaddar” is or not. She should introspect herself first. “The outcome of the Nandigram election speaks for itself, people are aware of who is ‘Gaddar’ and who is not. People have already answered this, so I won’t say much more,” he added. A special court in Kolkata on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of former West Bengal Minister Partha Chatterjee and his close associate, Arpita Mukherjee, till September 14 in connection with the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam case.A Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Kolkata had earlier extended the judicial custody of the case till August 31.
Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee were arrested last month by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with the recruitment scam. The ED had raided several premises allegedly linked to Arpita Mukherjee in the scam. The probe agency recovered cash worth about Rs 50 crore, foreign currency, jewellery and gold biscuits in connection with its raids into the scam. Chatterjee were education minister from 2014 to 2021 in the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal. Following Chatterjee’s arrest, he was removed as a minister and suspended from the Trinamool Congress.
MAMATA’S CLOSE AIDE MONDAL PRODUCED IN COURT ON THURSDAY
Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and CM Mamata’s close aid, Anubrata Mondal on Thursday appeared at the MP/MLA court in Bidhannagar in connection with the 2010 Mangalkot blast case. In this case, Mondal was produced in court by police from the Asansol Special Correctional Home where he is currently lodged in an alleged cattle smuggling case.
The TMC Birbhum district president has been named in a chargesheet in the Mangalkot blast case. Mondal has pleaded not guilty in the case and said that he has been implicated. “This is an old case, and he’s already got bail in this. Today, he just had to appear in court. Other witnesses were also present today. The next date is tomorrow, when the proceedings will begin,” Anubrata Mondal’s advocate said.
Mondal is considered a close aide to Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He was sent to 14-day judicial custody by the CBI Special Court in the alleged cattle smuggling case on August 24.The CBI summoned Mondal several times, but he evaded, citing health issues. He was finally arrested on August 11 from his residence in Bolpur in Birbhum district.
Meanwhile, Mondal’s personal guard, Sehgal Hossain, who was arrested in the same cattle smuggling case and lodged in the Asansol Special Correctional Home, was today presented before the special CBI court. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on September 21, 2020, arrested a former Border Security Force (BSF) Commandant in connection with an illegal cattle smuggling case across the Indo-Bangladesh border.