JOIN USThe West Bengal government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee suffered a setback on Thursday as the Supreme Court rejected its plea to monitor the CBI probe into the Saradha chit fund scam.
Several MPs and top leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) are in the dock in connection with the case.
A bench of Justices T S Thakur and C Nagappan said, “There is no room for monitoring” as the case was disposed of with handing over the cases to the CBI on May 9.
The court also brushed aside a plea by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, on behalf of the West Bengal government, to restrain the CBI from “leaking” information related to the probe to the media.
Sibal said: “The court must observe that this (leakage of information) is not fair. We are interested in upholding rule of law and maintaining certain decorum (by the CBI).”
“We can understand, if some accused are threatened by the leaks to the media, how can the state government be bothered,” the bench wondered, “if there is some political fallout, we can't do anything.”
Senior advocate Vivek Tankha, appearing for the TMC, contended that selective leaks by the CBI and passing investigation details to the party-in-power (BJP) at the Centre could affect public perception in the state, which will witness municipal elections in the coming months.
‘Can’t gag media’
However, the court said: “If anyone is facing heat, he could approach the appropriate court for redressal of his grievances. We will not be able to stop the media from doing their job. These are the matters that cannot be controlled.The CBI is doing the investigation. Media is doing its own job.”
A senior CBI officer told the court that the media published stories quoting CBI sources “in order to lend credence” and the officers investigating the cases were not authorised to talk to the media.
Sensing the mood of the court, Sibal preferred not to press with the plea seeking restraint order against the CBI from passing on investigation details. Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar, representing the CBI, submitted that the probe agency was “severally intimidated by the TMC people”.
Three TMC leaders, including West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra, MP Srinjoy Bose and Kunal Ghosh, were arrested in the chit fund scam. The CBI also questioned TMC leader and former Railway Minister Mukul Roy.
In a breather to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and state law minister, the court refused to entertain two petitions seeking contempt actions against them for organising a protest against the CBI, saying that it was for the probe agency to make such a request.
The court also allowed the CBI to file an application for modification of its order over its inability to continue with large number of cases relating to the scam spread over West Bengal, Odisha and Assam.
The CBI also failed to give exact time-frame in which it would be able to complete the investigation in the case involving “larger conspiracy and money trail in foreign countries”.