Narada Case: Calcutta HC Grants Interim Bail To All 4 Accused Including WB Ministers Subrata Mukherjee & Firhad Hakim

The 4 accused including West Bengal ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, TMC MLA Madan Mitra and former city mayor Sovan Chatterjee have been asked to not give press interviews, make any comment in public or in media on pending trial on the Narada case.

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has granted interim bail to two West Bengal ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, TMC MLA Madan Mitra and former city mayor Sovan Chatterjee, arrested by CBI in the Narada sting tapes case.

The five-judge bench of the High Court asked them to furnish personal bonds of Rs 2 lakh each with two sureties. They have been directed to join the investigation by video conferencing as and when required.

The 4 accused have been asked to not give press interviews, make any comment in public or in media on pending trial on the Narada case.

The five-judge bench comprises Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and justices I P Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen and Arijit Banerjee.

The four leaders were arrested on the morning of May 17 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which is investigating the Narada sting tapes case on a 2017 order of the Calcutta High Court.

A special CBI court had granted interim bail to the four accused on May 17, but a division bench of the high court - comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee - stayed the decision later that day after which the leaders were sent to judicial custody. 

After that, the accused were sent to house arrest instead of judicial custody.

The CBI on Tuesday withdrew its appeal filed in Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court of placing the accused TMC leaders in house arrest.

According to initial reports, the investigating agency took back its appeal after the apex court said it would be better if CBI withdraws its appeal since the matter wass pending before the 5-judge bench of the Calcutta HC.

While making the observations, the top court noted that it did not approve the conduct of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other leaders laying siege of the CBI office in Kolkata and thronging the trial court with supporters.

The Supreme Court had also pointed out that CBI is free to take action against Mamata Banerjee, law minister or anyone it thinks has attempted to subvert the rule of law and tried to create a law and order situation.