The immigration department furnished an email printout of a notice from the ED, through which the latter had summoned her to be present at the ED office in Kolkata for questioning in a particular case
The Enforcement Directorate has issued fresh summons to Maneka Gambhir, the sister-in-law of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, for questioning in a money laundering case after it was found that the agency "erroneously" issued her a notice for appearance at 12:30 AM instead of 12:30 PM on Monday, official sources said. Gambhir was handed over the summons to appear at the ED office here on Monday "at 12:30 AM" by agency officials at the Kolkata airport on September 10 after they denied her from travelling abroad as she was required to join investigation in an alleged coal scam case. She reached the ED office in Salt Lake area around the stipulated time given on the summons but as it was an erroneous date issued inadvertently, she found the office closed and returned after clicking some pictures, the sources said. The sources said the midnight time printed on the earlier summons was a "typographical error" and it should have been "12:30 PM" on September 12. Now, Gambhir has been sent fresh ..
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's sister-in-law Maneka Gambhir was on Saturday evening stopped by the ED at the Kolkata airport from flying abroad and was handed over summons to join investigation in a money laundering case, official sources said. Gambhir had reached the airport to take a flight to Bangkok departing around 9 PM. The sources said on Sunday that Gambhir was denied immigration clearance on the basis of a Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against her by the federal probe agency. She was stopped by the immigration authorities and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) was informed following which they reached the airport, spoke to her and denied her permission to travel, they said. The ED officials subsequently handed over summons to her seeking her appearance before the agency on Monday (September 12) at 11 am at its office in Salt Lake area in Kolkata for questioning in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal pilferage case of West Bengal, the sources said. She is understo
Senior TMC MLA Paresh Pal appeared before the CBI on Tuesday in connection with its probe into the murder of BJP worker Abhijit Sarkar in post-poll violence in Kolkata. Pal, the MLA of Beleghata, was questioned by the agency in May as well in the case. "We have specific questions for Pal in connection with the murder of Sarkar. These questions have been framed after grilling a few others in connection with the murder," a CBI officer said. Pal is being questioned by CBI officers at the agency's CGO Complex office in Salt Lake near Kolkata. Sarkar was dragged out of his house in Narkeldanga and murdered allegedly by Trinamool Congress workers, hours after the results of the state assembly elections were declared on May 2 last year.
Th CBI arrested the chairperson of Halisahar Municipality and TMC leader Raju Sahani, in Kolkata and took him for five days' custody in an ongoing investigation related with a chit fund case
The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on September 5 the plea by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee seeking approval to go to Dubai for a medical procedure. The top court had on May 17 granted relief to the TMC leader and his wife Rujira Banerjee by asking the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to examine them in its Kolkata office, instead of summoning them to Delhi, after giving a 24-hour advance notice. The bench had also stayed the Delhi High Court order which had dismissed the pleas filed by the TMC MP and his wife seeking quashing of summonses issued to them in a money-laundering probe. A bench headed by Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, at the outset, was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that the leader has to go to Dubai for a medical procedure and the central probe agency has opposed it alleging he may not come back. There is urgency. He wanted to go to Dubai for a medical procedure. We filed a petition in the (Calcutta) high court and there they opposed saying I will not return
The CBI on Wednesday detained a TMC councillor, who is known to share close ties with arrested party strongman Anubrata Mondal, following a search operation at his residence here in connection with the probe into the alleged cattle smuggling scam, an agency official said. Biswajyoti Bandyopadhyay, whose name had cropped up during investigation, was detained for questioning early in the day, he said. CBI sleuths also simultaneously conducted searches at residences of two other local TMC leaders who are "closely associated" with Mondal and are suspected to have played a vital role in the scam, the official said. "Names of these three persons had come up during our investigation. We need to find out what were their exact roles and how much they benefitted from the scam," the CBI officer told PTI over phone. Several documents have been seized during the raids, he said, without revealing much detail. "We are talking to these people to find out relevant information about their involveme
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday issued a summons to Trinamool Congress' national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee for questioning in connection with its probe into the coal pilferage scam', an official said. The central agency asked Banerjee, the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, to appear at its Kolkata office on Friday morning, he said. "We have summoned Abhishek Banerjee to appear before our sleuths here. Our officers from New Delhi will come to interrogate him," the senior ED officer told PTI. While attacking the BJP during a programme, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had on Monday apprehended that the central agencies might send notices to her nephew, considered the second in command in the party, and other senior leaders.
As the CBI and ED stretch their nets to haul in people involved in the school teacher appointment scam and cattle-smuggling racket, the ruling Trinamool Congress is attempting to play it safe
BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh Friday courted yet another controversy by saying that the day is not far off when the TMC leaders will be "publicly beaten up" for their involvement in various graft cases in the state. Ghosh, known for making controversial remarks, said the TMC leaders will soon face "public ire" for their alleged involvement in various scams, including cattle smuggling and the SSC scandals. "The day is not far away when TMC leaders will be publicly beaten up. The people of the state are fed up with this corrupt TMC regime. They will soon face public ire for their involvement in various scams," he said addressing a protest rally. "Only two TMC leaders have been arrested and the party is crying foul over it. The day is not far off when the entire TMC leadership will be behind bars. None of the TMC leaders will be spared, they have to pay for their sins," he said. The CBI had arrested TMC Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal from Bolpur on August 11 for
The Trinamool Congress removed its Tripura state president Subal Bhowmik on Wednesday amid speculations that he may return to the BJP. Bhowmik, a former MLA from Sonamura, had crossed over to the TMC from BJP in July last year. "This press release is to announce that Subal Bhowmik is being relieved from his duties of state president of Tripura Pradesh Trinamool Congress with immediate effect," the TMC said. "All the members of the state committee, state youth committee, state mahila committee, state ST cell shall continue in their position," it said. Bhowmik has been staying away from party programmes for the last few days. The TMC announced that former West Bengal minister Rajib Banerjee, the party's in-charge for Tripura, and Rajya Sabha MP Susmita Dev will look after the functioning of the party till a new state president is appointed. Bhowmik, who was appointed TMC's state president in April, is likely to join the BJP during its president JP Nadda's visit to Tripura on August
Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal on Wednesday said he wanted a CBI probe into a threat letter against a judge of Asansol special CBI court who is hearing the alleged cattle smuggling case against him. Asansol special CBI court judge Rajesh Chakraborty wrote to Paschim Bardhaman district judge on Monday requesting him to take note of the "threat" and bring it to the notice of the Registrar, Judicial Service, of the Calcutta High Court. "I want to request the judge to order a CBI investigation into it," Mondal said in reply to questions by reporters about the threat letter while he was being taken to the Asansol special CBI court for production. A letter threatening to implicate his family members in NDPS case of commercial quantity if Mondal is not released on bail soon was sent to the officer-in-charge of the court, judge Chakraborty wrote to the district judge. Asked whether he is hopeful to get bail, the TMC Birbhum district president said it is for the court to ...
A special CBI court here on Saturday rejected Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal's bail plea in the alleged cattle smuggling scam and extended his custody with the central agency for four days till August 24. Describing Mondal as a "very powerful and highly influential person", the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appealed for an extension of the TMC leader's custody stating that he could "influence witnesses and tamper evidence if granted bail". The CBI lawyer said that Mondal has been "non-cooperative from the very beginning despite being issued summonses 10 times. The counsel also claimed that Mondal had pressurised a doctor to prescribe "complete rest". Mondal was arrested on August 11 by the CBI in connection with its investigation into the alleged cattle smuggling scam.
The Trinamool Congress on Friday condemned the CBI raids at Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's residence, and alleged that such moves are a part of the BJP's designs to intimidate the opposition across the country. The CBI on Friday carried out searches at the residences of Manish Sisodia and IAS officer Arava Gopi Krishna, and 19 other locations, after registering an FIR for alleged irregularities in the formulation and execution of the Delhi Excise Policy brought out in November last year. Sisodia has maintained that conspiracies will not break him nor deter his resolve to continue to work for good education. "The raids are an attempt to intimidate and threaten the opposition. Manish Sisodia is the deputy chief minister of Delhi, and the central agencies are trying to harass him on the orders of their political masters. The BJP is doing the same thing in all the opposition-ruled states," senior TMC leader and MP Sougata Roy said. TMC MP Santanu Sen claimed that the cent
Meghalaya's leader of opposition Mukul Sangma sought the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an inquiry by a central agency into the purchase of "overpriced" smart meters by the state government. Sangma, a Trinamool Congress leader, alleged massive financial irregularities in the contracts for procurement of smart meters awarded by the Meghalaya government. "Sir, you have always held that there is zero tolerance for corruption in New India. Your commitment to ensuring a corruption-free India gives me great expectations and hope that the Government of India will order an immediate inquiry into this matter through an appropriate Central investigation agency," he wrote in a letter to the prime minister on Thursday. "This is an issue that has major repercussions on the people of Meghalaya and the state's exchequer, and therefore, your kind and urgent intervention is greatly desired in order for justice to be done," he added. The state government had invited bids for the ..
The Leader of Opposition in West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday said that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) won't last even for the next six months in the state.
The Trinamool Congress will observe Khela Hobe Dibas' on Tuesday, with party leaders organising football matches across West Bengal to promote sports
The CBI sleuths have come across some crucial clues that connect Trinamool Congress strongman, Anubrata Mandal with BSF commandant, Satish Kumar
Arrested TMC leader Anubrata Mondal was sent to 10-day CBI custody till August 20 by a special CBI court of Asansol in connection with a cattle smuggling case
TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has cautioned party leaders against strongarm tactics and corruption in West Bengal panchayats, where rural poll is due next year.