Kolkata, May 17: The Central Bureau of Investigation arrested two Trinamool Congress ministers - Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, apart from former Trinamool Minister and present MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Corporation Mayor Sovon Chattopadhyay in the Narada sting tapes cases where several politicians and a high-ranked police officer were allegedly found accepting cash bribes in exchange for providing unofficial favours to the company.
The premiere agency that has already prepared the chargesheet in the case is likely to produce all four before the court on Monday. "They have not given any notice and now they have arrested me. They didn't even seek the permission of the Speaker. We will fight it in the court," State Transport Minister and former Kolkata Mayor Firhad hakim told the media after he was arrested from his Chetla home in South Kolkata earlier in the day.
Along with Hakim three others were brought to the CBI regional office at Nizam Palace in the morning. Sources in CBI said that they were also arrested. The CBI officers with large central forces went to the houses of the leaders and the ministers in the morning at around 9.30 a.m. and brought them to the regional office without even allowing them to speak to their lawyers.
Sources in the agency said that all of them were made to sit in separate rooms on the 15th floor of the office and they were allowed to consult their lawyers. Though questions have been raised about the arrest of two cabinet ministers without the permission of the Speaker, the CBI officials said that they had sought the permission of the Governor and Jagdeep Dhankar had given them the permission to prosecute.
"We will appeal for the bail," one of the lawyers said. The arrests obviously attracted controversy because Governor Dhankar has accorded sanction of prosecution to the premiere agency just few hours before the oath taking ceremony of the ministers.
"The plea for sanction was made a little before MCC came into being. I thought it as an act of propriety that at that point of time I should not be giving attention to the matter.
"The moment the poll process was over, the matter engaged my attention because such issues should not be delayed and so I acted and you know the results.
"As coming to issues on people taking oath in respect of whom sanctions for prosecution has been afforded is a matter of propriety to be taken not by those who make a request to the governor to appoint them," the governor had said.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rushed to the CBI regional office to speak to her cabinet ministers. The chief minister appeared angry as she entered the CBI office and met her leaders. Lawyers present on the floor said that the chief minister questioned the CBI officers about the legality of the arrests of the ministers and even said that she would wait till the end until there is a proper conclusion to the whole incident.
"The BJP is taking a vindictive stance. Why are Suvendu and Mukul, who are also accused in the Narada case, not arrested? They are trying to take revenge for their defeat. We will fight the case in the court," senior Trinamool leader Saugata Roy said. The arrests created huge controversy and protests all over the city as the Trinamool Congress supporters breaking the lockdown norms blocked the road in front of Nizam Palace and several other places in the city.
They demanded immediate release of the leaders. Large number of central forces cordoned off Nizam Palace and nobody was allowed to enter the area. - IANS
