Congress approaches SC against Trinamool's bid to hinder CBI probe

New Delhi/Kolkata, Dec 16: Alleging that West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress was hindering the CBI probe into the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam, the Congress on Tuesday filed a petition before the Supreme Court seeking its intervention.

Dubbing the Trinamool's rallies protesting against arrest of Transport Minister Madan Mitra as tantamount to contempt of court, Congress leader Abdul Mannan, who filed the petition, said it has been submitted to ensure the probe is carried out unhindered.

"The Trinamool has been trying to disrupt and hinder the CBI probe by various means. The way the CBI counsel was not allowed to speak during Mitra's appearance in the court (Dec 13) was a contempt of court So we have filed a contempt petition," he said.

"We have submitted video recordings of the ruckus outside the court as well as media reports of how the Trinamool has been trying to derail the CBI probe. The petition was filed today before the Supreme Court and the hearing is likely to begin later in the month," said Mannan who played a key role in filing a petition in which the apex court eventually directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe the scam.

The Congress leader earlier had filed a contempt petition against state Law Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya for staging demonstration outside CBI's city office.

The Dec 13 ruckus by the Trinamool activists prompted the CBI to seek enhanced security measures from the police during Mitra's court appearance.

The minister was presented before a court during the day on the expiry of his CBI custody. It again denied his bail plea and extended his CBI custody to Dec 19.

IANS