Narada case: CBI challenges house arrest order in SC

NEW DELHI: The CBI moved the Supreme Court on Monday alleging that Trinamool Congress workers, led by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, created a massive law and order situation to prevent the agency from producing four arrested TMC members before a trial court and challenged the Calcutta HC’s decision allowing house arrest of the Narada scam accused.
The CBI’s special leave petition claimed be it the Narada scam or the Saradha scam, the CM had always attempted to create law and order situations and recalled how she had launched a violent protest against arrest of Madan Mitra in 2014 and also sat on a dharna when officials had gone to Bidhannagar commissioner chief Rajeev Kumar’s house for questioning him in 2019.
The CBI informed the SC that given the extremely hostile atmosphere created by the CM and TMC workers, it was virtually impossible to carry out a free and fair investigation and trial in the present case. It said the HC had erred by releasing the arrested from judicial custody and allowing them to be confined in house arrest. The could tamper with evidence and influence witnesses, it said.