The Supreme Court on Monday has agreed to list Trinamool Congress(TMC) general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s plea on April 24 and also granting and interim relief by staying Calcutta High Court’s order which directed investigating agencies to question him, till the next date of listing.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwalam, which decided to hear the plea on April 24, also stayed the direction of a single judge bench of the high court that TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee and Kuntal Ghosh, an accused in the case, can be questioned by the ED and the CBI and such “interrogation should be made soon.”
“The petition was in the mentioning list. Dr A M Singhvi has adverted to the contents of the order and the directions passed by which the ED and CBI have been directed to file a report with respect to a probe in connection with a public speech by Abhishek Banerjee. List on April 24, 2023. Till the next date of listing, there shall be stay on all action against petitioner in relation to the directions passed in impugned order,” the apex court ordered.
Earlier on 13 April, the Calcutta High Court said that TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee and Kuntal Ghosh, an accused in the school jobs-for-bribes scam case, can be questioned by the ED and the CBI and such “interrogation should be made soon.”
Hearing a petition relating to alleged irregularities in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay said that Ghosh could be questioned soon by the central agencies along with Banerjee,
“Here I take note of one public meeting held by one Abhishek Banerjee on March 29, 2023 where he urged some persons to support him by saying that when those persons were in custody, police or the interrogating agencies pressurised them to name said Abhishek Banerjee,” the judge said.
ED and CBI were directed to file a report of their investigation into this matter, if necessary, with the video recordings, before this court on April 20, when this matter will be taken up again for hearing.
“All the aspects which have been indicated above including the public speech of one Abhishek Banerjee, should also not be outside the investigation of CBI and if necessary, by ED,” Justice Gangopadhyay directed.
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