CBI searches West Bengal law minister's residence in coal scam case

Kolkata, Sep 07: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is conducting searches at West Bengal's law minister Moloy Ghatak's residence in Asansol, including five locations in Kolkata, in connection with the alleged coal scam case.

The CBI questioned Ghatak earlier in connection with the case by the ED. A few TMC ministers, including the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, are already on the radar of the central agencies.

It is to be recalled that the coal scam is the same case in which TMC's leader Abhishek Banerjee has been questioned by the ED several times.

In November 2020, the CBI registered the coal smuggling case in which it alleged that the illegally mined coal, worth thousands of crores of rupees, was sold by a racket operating in the western parts of West Bengal. The Eastern Coalfields Limited runs several mines in West Bengal. The CBI also alleged that proceeds from the coal trade went to political leaders.

The ED filed its first chargesheet in the coal smuggling case at a special court in Delhi in August 2021. In the chargesheet, the Central agency named Vinay Mishra's brother, Vikas, and former officer-in-charge of Bankura police station, Ashok Mishra, as prime accused.

The CBI did not mention Abhishek Banerjee's name in the chargesheet. Recently, the ED summoned eight IPS officers posted in the state to Delhi for questioning.