Kolkata: In a significant blow to Abhishek Banerjee, the General Secretary of the Trinamool Congress, the Calcutta High Court has not only granted permission to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to question the Trinamool Congress MP but has also imposed a substantial fine on him for wasting the court's time.
Justice Amrita Sinha, who presided over the case in place of Abhijit Gangopadhyay, delivered the verdict, ordering Banerjee and expelled Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh to pay a fine of Rs 25 lakh each. Ghosh has been accused of extorting money from job seekers by promising them employment opportunities.
The case revolves around a letter written by expelled Trinamool leader Kuntal Ghosh, in which he alleged that he was coerced into implicating Abhishek Banerjee in the recruitment scandal. Ghosh further claimed that he was subjected to physical assault due to this matter.
Interestingly, Abhishek Banerjee, speaking from the Shahid Minar dais, also alleged that several incarcerated individuals were being forced to implicate him. Responding to these allegations, Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay ordered the CBI and ED to interrogate Abhishek Banerjee, if necessary, to ascertain any potential connections between these statements.
In a bid to challenge the court's order, Banerjee approached the Supreme Court. However, the Supreme Court referred the case back to the Calcutta High Court and directed another bench to hear and resolve the matter. Subsequently, Banerjee filed a fresh application in the Calcutta High Court seeking exemption from interrogation in relation to the Primary Teachers' Recruitment Scam case. On Thursday, Justice Sinha upheld the earlier decision made by Justice Gangopadhyay and upheld the fine imposed on Abhishek Banerjee, who serves as the All India Secretary and Lok Sabha MP for the Trinamool Congress.
