SC stays Calcutta HC order allowing ED, CBI to quiz Abhishek Banerjee on Kuntal Ghosh's allegations

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Calcutta High Court order permitting the CBI and ED to question Trinamool Congress's national general secretary and party Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee in the matter of allegations made by expelled youth Trinamool Congress leader Kuntal Ghosh.

Ghosh had alleged that the central agency sleuths were putting pressure on him to name Abhishek Banerjee in the multi-crore scam in recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in the state-run schools in West Bengal.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud stayed the order passed by the high court on April 13 till April 24, when the top court will take up Banerjee's plea.

The bench, also comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and P.S. Narasimha said, "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." Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for Banerjee in the apex court.

On April 13, Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay also permitted the ED and CBI to question Kuntal Ghosh in the matter besides Abhishek Banerjee if the central agency sleuths feel that is necessary.

In a letter to a local police station on Wednesday, Ghosh, who is currently serving judicial custody at Presidency Central Correctional Home in South Kolkata in connection with the recruitment scam, alleged that the central agency sleuths had been putting pressure on him to name senior Trinamool Congress leaders, including Abhishek Banerjee in the scam. Earlier, Ghosh had forwarded a similar letter to the judge of a special court in Kolkata.

The ED had approached the bench of Justice Gangopadhyay claiming that the allegations were clear-cut attempts to influence the investigation by the central agencies in the recruitment scam.

While hearing the ED's plea, the single- judge bench authorised CBI and ED to question Ghosh and Banerjee in the matter if necessary.

On Thursday, Justice Gangopadhyay also made an observation referring to a public statement made by Abhishek Banerjee on March 29, while addressing a rally of the youth and the student wings of Trinamool Congress, where he alleged that during the investigation of Saradha chit fund scam, the CBI sleuths had put pressure on party leaders like Madan Mitra to name him. Kuntal Ghosh made the allegations of pressure on him by the central agencies in the matter the very next day.

On Thursday, Justice Gangopadhyay also observed that there was a necessity to find out whether there was a link between the two developments.