Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal was on Saturday given 14-day judicial custody in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam.
After being produced at an Asansol court, the lawyers representing the CBI said that bail should not be granted to Mondal as he is an ‘influential’ person.
CBI is targeting a ‘particular political party’, claim Mondal's attorney
Countering the CBI lawyer’s claim, Mondal’s lawyer said that the CBI is targeting a ‘particular political party’.
“CBI is targeting a particular political party. The central agency has filed a total of five charge sheets in the matter so that my client doesn’t get bail. It seems that my client won’t get bail till he changes his present political party or retires from politics,” said the court sources quoting Mondal’s lawyer.
Talking to the media, Mondal’s lawyer said that the judge had asked the CBI lawyer the time that they would take to complete the investigation to which the CBI lawyer could not give ‘proper’ answer.
“The CBI lawyer claimed that Mondal and his daughter and rest of the people involved in the case are not cooperating, but Mondal doesn’t know anything about cattle smuggling scam which is why he cannot say anything on it. They couldn't even give a proper answer as to how long they will probe the matter and just said that they will need more time and the investigation is in its final stage,” said Mondal’s lawyer.
Next hearing on November 11
It may be noted that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Mondal’s daughter Sukanya Mondal and his CA Manish Kothari in the national capital on November 2 to probe the cattle smuggling scam further.
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