Calcutta high court grants bail to 4 TMC politicians held in Narada case

KOLKATA: The Calcutta high court on Friday granted interim bail to four Bengal politicians arrested by CBI in the Narada case on May 17.
All four — cabinet ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, Trinamool MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee — were under house arrest from May 21.
A five-judge bench gave the four bail on a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh each and sureties. The court directed them not to speak to the media or make public comments in connection with the case and not to “tamper with evidence or attempt to intimidate or influence the witness”.
“The factual and legal issues... (raised by the counsel for the CBI and the politicians) may require some time for final determination,” the bench said, adding that interim bail was “fit and proper considering all circumstances”. The five-judge bench — comprising acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justices IP Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen and Arijit Banerjee — will hear the matter again on May 31.