New Delhi, April 17
The CBI today hand-delivered a summons to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee for questioning in connection with the teachers’ recruitment case, which was allegedly done over two hours after the Supreme Court stayed a HC order for his interrogation.
Banerjee on his part termed the agency’s action “contempt of court”.
In a Twitter post, the TMC MP said, “SC stayed the Calcutta HC’s order in the morning that granted permission to the central agencies to summon me. Yet, the ‘summons’ were hand-delivered today at 1.45 pm. Grave state of affairs!”
Meanwhile, a senior CBI official said, the notice was prepared on Sunday and delivered on Monday. He said the branch concerned was “not aware” of the court order.
Earlier on Monday, a Bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala stayed the direction of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the Calcutta High Court that TMC leaders Banerjee and Kuntal Ghosh, accused in the case, could be questioned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the CBI, and such “interrogation should be made soon”.
According to reports, the stay was granted by the Supreme Court at 11.15 am. Senior advocate AM Singhvi, appearing for the TMC leaders, had sought an urgent hearing on the plea challenging the HC order in the case.
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the “summon proves” that the central agencies have a one-point agenda of targeting the TMC leader.
“The central agencies are so busy targeting TMC leaders that they have the audacity to disregard the Supreme Court order. We will inform the SC about this misadventure of the central agencies,” he said.
