Narada case: CBI moves SC against Calcutta HC house arrest order of 4 leaders

The CBI on Monday moved the Supreme Court to challenge the Calcutta High Court order allowing the house arrest of four political leaders from Bengal — two sitting ministers, one MLA and the former Kolkata mayor — in the Narada bribery case.

This comes days after the High Court ordered shifting of two West Bengal ministers, an MLA and a former Kolkata mayor to house arrest from jail.

A division bench, presided by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, differed on the issue of recalling the stay on bail to the four accused. It decided to refer the matter to a larger bench of five judges and the hearing is scheduled at 11 am.

The High Court had ruled that while under house arrest, the ministers will be able to work virtually, but will not be allowed to meet anyone personally.

Those arrested include ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra, and Sovan Chatterjee, who had quit the Trinamool to join the BJP before leaving that party too in March.

In dramatic developments last week, CBI officials had picked up the four leaders from their residences, took them to the agency’s Kolkata office and arrested them.

The arrests sparked massive protests and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself rushed to the probe agency’s office, daring officials to arrest her as well.

The Trinamool has questioned the timing of these arrests, which comes barely days after her party’s electoral victory in the recently held assembly elections.