Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has got relief from the Supreme Court, ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee (file photo)
Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has got relief from the Supreme Court, ahead of Lok Sabha elections. The SC has ordered the Enforcement Directorate that it cannot summon Abhishek to Delhi during the Sabha elections.
Abhishek Banerjee is a Trinamul candidate from Diamond Harbour constituency.
The next hearing date in the Supreme Court is 10 July. According to the Supreme Court order, Abhishek cannot be summoned to Delhi till the next hearing date. That is, the ED cannot summon Abhishek to Delhi during the Lok Sabha polls. A bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Pankaj Mithal gave this order.
Advertisement
Abhishek Banerjee approached the Supreme Court against ED’s summons in the illegal coal mining case. Advocate Kapil Sibal, on behalf of Abhishek Banerjee, requested the court not to summon the ED in Delhi at least till July, during the Lok Sabha elections. Sibal also told the court that Abhishek has always cooperated with the ED investigations. The MP has submitted 10-year income tax return as directed by ED. He has always responded to the summons and faced questioning.
Trinamul Congress welcomed the Supreme Court order.
Further, as the ED had not summoned Mr Banerjee after March 2022 and Ms Rujira Banerjee after September 2023, therefore there was no pressing urgency for them to be summoned now in the run up to the elections and therefore have listed the matter on 10 July 2024. The interim order passed earlier by SC, has been directed to continue.
In the SLP filed by ED against the interim order granted by Calcutta High Court directing that Mr Sumit Roy (personal secretary to Mr Bannerjee), be summoned and questioned only in Kolkata and order of no-coercive steps, the court today noticed that the respondent had not been summoned after the interim order and therefore the said matter is to be listed with other connected matters on 10 July. All interim orders to continue.
Advertisement
