‘Grave State Of Affairs’: TMC’s Abhishek Banerjee On CBI Summons Despite SC Relief

Taking the plea of the TMC leader for an urgent hearing, a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said, List the petition on April 24, 2023. Till the next date of listing, there shall be a stay of all the directions against the petitioner (Banerjee) in pursuance to the directions contained in the impugned order of the single judge bench of the high court on April 13.
The high court had taken note of the public speech of Abhishek Banerjee, a nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in which he had purportedly said that Ghosh, an accused in the case, was being pressured by the central probe agencies to name him in the case.Senior advocate A M Singhvi, appearing for Banerjee, referred to an interview given by the high court judge to a news channel and alleged that some statements he made were against Banerjee.Singhvi also referred to the high court order which said no police station in the state shall lodge any FIR against the CBI and ED officers probing the recruitment scam.
The apex court bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, took note of the submissions of Singhvi and stayed the operation of the HC order till April 24.It took note of Singhvi’s contention that the direction of the high court was ‘wholly extraneous to the relief which was sought in the petition’ and, moreover, Banerjee was not even made a party there.
The Calcutta High Court had on April 13 passed a slew of directions asking the police not to lodge FIRs on complaints against officers of the CBI or the ED who are investigating the alleged recruitment scam related to the West Bengal Central School Service Commission and the West Bengal Board of Primary Education without its permission.It had asked the central agencies to probe the role of Banerjee saying such an interrogation should be made soon.
The high court was hearing a petition related to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools.The high court had said that Ghosh could also be questioned soon by the central agencies and Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary.Abhishek Banerjee had addressed a public meeting in Kolkata on March 29 where he reportedly made a claim about Ghosh being under pressure to name him.
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