Narada case: CBI moves SC against Calcutta HC order allowing house arrest of TMC leaders | India News

NEW DELHI: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta high court’s order allowing Narada case accused and senior leaders of TMC to be kept under house-arrest.
The CBI in its appeal sought deferment of the larger bench hearing, fixed for today before the five-Judge Bench of the Calcutta high court.
The Calcutta HC in its earlier order allowed four TMC leaders, including two sitting ministers, accused in the Narada case, to be granted bail, and to be kept under house arrest.
The high court had referred the bail pleas of four leaders to be heard by a five-judge bench after the split verdict was passed by the two-Judge bench.
The court passed the direction modifying its earlier order that stayed their bail granted by a special CBI court when the four leaders were arrested.
The court directed that the two ministers, during their period of house arrest, can deal with official files sent to them online and hold meetings through video conferencing.
The four politicians of West Bengal accused in the case are two sitting ministers of Mamata Banerjee-led government — Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee — and TMC legislators — Madan Mitra and former MLA Sovan Chatterjee.
Narada case or the sting operation was an undercover investigation conducted by a news outlet which aimed to reveal corruption within the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Between 2014 and 2016, founder of the ‘Narada News’ Mathew Samuel conducted a sting operation on at least 12 TMC leaders and an IPS officer in which they were allegedly seen receiving cash in exchange of extending business favors to a firm.
The company named ‘Impex Consultancy Solutions’ was a fictitious firm forged by Samuel to conduct the sting operation.
While the sting operation was started in 2014, it was not published until 2016, ahead of the 2016 West Bengal Assembly elections.
The Calcutta high court in its 2017 order directed a preliminary investigation to be conducted by the CBI in the case.
(With agency inputs)