Trinamool All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira have approached the Supreme Court this time against the summoning of ED officials to Delhi in the coal scam case. After the case was dismissed in the Delhi High Court, he went to the Supreme Court this time. The matter is to be heard in the top court next week.
On the same day, the Chief Justice’s attention was drawn to the Supreme Court’s opposition to summoning ED officials to Delhi. Abhishek and Rujira had filed a petition in the apex court for speedy hearing of the matter. The plaintiffs appealed in the apex court, repeatedly requesting the ED officials to summon them to the ED office in Kolkata. But despite repeated requests, ED officials are being pressured to come to Delhi and meet them. Also the Apex Court was informed that the permanent residence of the plaintiff is in Kolkata and the case in which he was summoned was also conducted in West Bengal. In the end, the top court agreed to accept the case.
Earlier this case was dismissed in the Delhi High Court. According to the Delhi High Court, under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, there is no compulsion to cross-examine a witness in his area. There is a difference between this Act and Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. The plaintiff is not covered under section 160 of CrPC. Consequently, there is no legal impediment for the ED officials to summon the plaintiff to the New Delhi office instead of Kolkata.