Abhishek Banerjee Takes School Jobs for Cash Scam Case to Supreme Court, Challenges ₹25 Lakh Costs and CBI, ED Probe Approval
Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC), has approached the Supreme Court to contest a recent ruling by the Calcutta High Court. The High Court had imposed a hefty cost of ₹25 lakh on Banerjee and authorized investigations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the school jobs for cash scam.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi represented Banerjee before a vacation bench comprising Justices Aniruddha Bose and Sanjay Karol. Singhvi informed the Court that Banerjee was being summoned for questioning while he was engaged in campaigning outside the State.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear Banerjee's plea on Friday, May 26.
Previously, on April 13, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court had ordered the CBI and the ED to investigate Banerjee's alleged involvement in the school jobs for cash scam. The decision came in response to an application filed by the ED, seeking protection for its officers from potential action by the State Police based on allegations made by accused Kuntal Ghosh. Ghosh had claimed that the officers were subjecting him to torture and pressuring him to implicate Banerjee in the case.
Both Banerjee and Ghosh had subsequently filed applications before Justice Amrita Sinha, requesting the recall of Justice Gangopadhyay's order. However, on May 18, Justice Sinha dismissed their applications and imposed costs of ₹25 lakh each on the two individuals.
In her order, Justice Sinha also criticized the CBI and the ED for the sluggish pace of their investigations. She questioned the lack of recent developments mentioned in the sealed envelopes submitted by the agencies, emphasizing the need for timely evidence collection.
TAGS: Abhishek Banerjee All India Trinamool Congress Supreme Court Calcutta High Court ₹25 lakh costs Enforcement Directorate Central Bureau of Investigation school jobs for cash scam plea Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi questioning campaign Justice Aniruddha Bose Justice Sanjay Karol Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay ED probe CBI probe Kuntal Ghosh recall order Justice Amrita Sinha costs investigations sealed envelopes pre-historic age evidences slow pace.
