West Bengal: CBI summons Vinay Mishra's parents in illegal coal mining and cattle smuggling probes

KOLKATA: The CBI has summoned the parents of Vinay Mishra—one of the prime accused in the cross-border cattle smuggling case and illegal coal mining in West Bengal.
While Mishra renounced Indian citizenship on December 19, 2020 and reportedly took citizenship of Vanuatu, his brother Vikas was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March this year.
According to sources, the central investigating agency officials have asked Mishra's parents to remain present at its Nizam Palace office in Kolkata on Wednesday. Earlier, the anti-corruption branch of the CBI had conducted several raids on the residential premises and offices of Mishra. Mishra’s lawyer Ayan Poddar did not want to comment on the notice being served on his parents.
Mishra, who had left India last year and moved to Dubai after that, had submitted the application for renouncing his Indian citizenship with the Indian Consulate General office at the United Arab Emirates. He further claimed that the application was accepted by the Indian Government on December, 22, 2020. He had later moved to Vanuatu—a South Pacific Ocean nation where he reportedly took up citizenship.
In a submission with the Calcutta high court, Mishra pleaded that he is willing to join the investigation over video conference keeping the movement restriction due to the pandemic in mind.
Stating his inability to join the investigation physically due to the pandemic situation, he promised to appear before the CBI personally the moment the pandemic situation normalizes and movement restrictions are lifted. Till that time, he sought protection from arrest and cancellation of the Lookout Circular and Red Corner Notice.
Later Mishra’s lawyers sought interim protection from the central investigating agencies during his physical presence in the country. “The CBI has not consented to any such interim protection and the matter is awaiting verdict. Our main contention at the court was that the CBI does not have the jurisdiction to take up a case in West Bengal without the consent of the state government. The court will give its verdict on whether the central agency has any jurisdiction or not,” Podar said.