CBI names Mamata Banerjee in petition linked to Narada sting operation

Kolkata, May 19: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Law Minister Moloy Ghatak have been made parties in a petition by the CBI before the Calcutta High Court seeking transfer of the Narada sting tape case from the state. A division bench presided by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal fixed the matter for hearing at 2 pm on Wednesday.

The bench will also hear petitions by ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, TMC MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee for recall of its order staying the bail granted by a CBI court in connection with their arrest in the case, on Monday.

Besides Banerjee and Ghatak, the probe agency has also made Trinamool Congress MP and lawyer Kalyan Banerjee a party in its petition before the high court.

Representing the CBI, Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta had on Monday evening told the division bench of Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee that an extraordinary situation had evolved, with the chief minister of the state sitting on a dharna outside the office of the investigating agency here.

The CBI also claimed that the law minister of West Bengal was present in court, where the accused were to be presented, along with a mob.

The probe agency said that a number of followers of the arrested political leaders gheraoed the CBI office in Nizam Palace area, and did not allow its officers to move out to enable them to produce the accused in court.

They were produced before the special CBI court through the virtual mode on Monday.