TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee's Sister-In-Law Appears Before ED Over Coal Smuggling Case

Maneka Gambhir, the sister-in-law of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, reached the Enforcement Directorate's office in the Kolkata, in connection with the coal smuggling case.

New Delhi: Maneka Gambhir, sister-in-law of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee, reached the Enforcement Directorate's office in Kolkata on Monday, in connection with the coal smuggling case, as per ANI's report. Earlier she appeared before the enforcement agency's office after midnight on Monday after which the ED said that summon issued to Gambhir mentioned incorrect timing.

The notice filed against her stated her to appear before the ED at 12.30 AM on Monday which was incorrect. " It should have read "12:30 PM" on September 12," the agency said, quoted by news agency PTI. 

Typograhpical Error on ED's Behalf

As per PTI's report, earlier Gambir arrived at the ED office in the CGO complex in Kolkata's Salt Lake area on Monday after midnight with the notice, which the federal agency later described as a "typographical error".

According to Gambhir, who subsequently spoke to a local news channel, "I was served with notice to report at 12:30 AM and so I had come." She arrived at the ED office at midnight with a lawyer by her side.

The summons was handed over to Gambhir at Kolkata airport by agency officials after she was denied from taking an international flight. The summons handed over by ED's officials stated to appear at the office on Monday, "at 12:30 AM". She is required by the ED to participate in a probe into a coal fraud.

New Summons

She received fresh summons to appear before the agency in person here at 2:00 PM on September 12, according to the officials. As per PTI report citing its sources, the summons issued earlier for midnight hour was an error and typographical mistake, it should have read "12:30 PM" on September 12. She now has reached the office and is in talks with the ED.

Gambhir has been questioned by the ED for the first time. She was however, earlier interrogated by the CBI in the aforementioned matter.

She had requested a court order directing the ED to enable her to appear before it in Kolkata, where she said she resided, in response to a challenge to an ED summons that ordered her to appear before it in Delhi on September 5 in connection with the alleged coal fraud case.

Abhishek Banerjee, the national general secretary of the TMC and the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, as well as his wife Rujira, have already been questioned by the ED in this issue.

Anup Majee is suspected of being the ringleader of a money laundering case tied to coal mining theft at Eastern Coalfield Limited's mines in Kunustoria and Kajora in and around Asansol in West Bengal. This case is being probed by the ED under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).