West Bengal Cattle Smuggling Case: TMC ‘Bahubali’ Anubrata Mondal Sent to 14-day Judicial Custody

Kolkata: In a huge setback to West Bengal Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal, a court in CBI court in Asansol on Friday sent him to judicial custody for another 14 days in connection with a cattle smuggling case probe against him.

 

West Bengal Cattle Smuggling Case: Asansol CBI court has sent TMC leader Anubrata Mondal to judicial custody for 14 days.

(File pic) pic.twitter.com/kkfIh2h2sh — ANI (@ANI) February 3, 2023

 

In January, the Calcutta High Court rejected the bail plea of the influential Trinamool Congress leader, who has been arrested by the CBI in connection with an alleged cattle smuggling case. Mondal had prayed for bail, submitting that he has been in custody for more than 150 days in connection with the case.

The CBI then opposed his plea, claiming that he may derail the investigation into the cattle smuggling case by trying to influence witnesses being probed by it.

A division bench, comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and AK Gupta rejected the bail plea, maintaining that the court is not inclined to grant the prayer at this stage. The Central Bureau of Investigation claimed that Mondal, using his political clout, was the main facilitator for the smooth transportation of cattle through the Birbhum district for smuggling them to Bangladesh.

It may be recalled that two prominent leaders of the TMC, Partha Chatterjee and Anubrata Mondal, were arrested last year in separate cases by the central probe agencies. 

Chatterjee was removed from the cabinet and suspended from the party following his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in a school recruitment scam, but the leadership stood by Mondal, apprehended by the CBI in a cattle smuggling case. Manik Bhattacharya, another TMC MLA arrested in the SSC scam case, is yet to face any action from the party.

Mondal, a TMC strongman, continues to be the party's Birbhum district president.