KOLKATA: The Calcutta HC allowed TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Monday to file an application seeking his inclusion as an added party to Soumen Nandy case on school recruitment.
His name came into the picture only after Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay made a written observation while hearing Nandy’s case that central agencies should question him. The observation was based on accused Kuntal Ghosh’s letter to Hastings police station in which he said ED officers were pressuring him to name TMC seniors, including Abhishek, for having a hand in the recruitment scam.
The Supreme Court later directed the Calcutta HC chief justice to reassign the hearing of the case, along with one by petitioner Ramesh Malik, to another high court judge. Accordingly, Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam assigned the matter to the court of Justice Amrita Sinha.
Justice Sinha, while turning to Abhishek’s counsel Sabyasachi Banerjee on Monday, asked: “What are your grievances?” He said his client wanted to be an added party to the case. “But there is no allegation against you in this case,” Justice Sinha observed.
CBI lawyer Billwadal Bhattacharya submitted that a notice was served on Abhishek, but it had been kept in abeyance because the matter was being heard at this court.
“Nobody is above probe. You should cooperate with the investigation. Your client made some comments against a sitting judge. So your name has been included in the case,” Justice Sinha observed.
Justice Sinha held that Abhishek’s counsel was being apprehensive. “Why were you sitting tight for all these days after the apex court passed the order? Why have you come with an application now,” Justice Sinha observed. The court granted leave to Abhishek to file the application by May 12.
The Open Magazine of India by Artmotion Network (https://magazine.armotion.com/)
