ED’s process of taking Anubrata Mondal to Delhi gets delayed further

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) process to take Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal to New Delhi for questioning in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling in West Bengal, got delayed further after the Delhi High Court on Thursday postponed a hearing in the matter to December 7

on Thursday as a hearing in the matter in the Delhi High Court was postponed till December 7.

ED sources said that on Thursday morning, Mondal’s lawyer informed the court that the main counsel in the matter and senior advocate, Kapil Sibal will not be able to appear because of his engagements in another court.

On this ground, Mondal’s counsel moved a plea for the hearing to be postponed till December 7.

The judge then asked the ED’s counsel about his opinion in the matter and when the latter did not raise any objection, the hearing was postponed to December 7.

The ED had made an appeal to the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi for a transit remand for taking Mondal to the national capital for questioning.

However, Mondal’s counsel challenged the same at the Delhi High Court.

Mondal, who is currently under judicial custody at the Asansol Special Correctional Home in West Burdwan district, has made two separate petitions at the Calcutta High Court.

The first relates to his bail plea and the second to quashing of the ED’s plea to take him to New Delhi.

He is facing two parallel charges — the first over his involvement in the conspiracy of the cattle scam and the second to the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

-IANS