Narada scam: SC annuls Calcutta HC order refusing to accept replies of Mamata Banerjee, Moloy Ghatak

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday annulled the Calcutta High Court’s 9 June order refusing to take reply-affidavits of West Bengal, its Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and state law minister Moloy Ghatak on the CBI’s transfer plea related to the Narada scam case. A vacation bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari urged the 5-judge bench of the High Court, headed by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, to decide afresh the pleas of Banerjee, Ghatak and the state government before deciding on the CBI petition seeking transfer of the scam case to the high court itself. The top court was hearing three appeals including that of the state government challenging the high court’s denial of filing of affidavits by Banerjee and Ghatak in their role on the day of the arrest of four Trinamool Congress leaders on 17 May by CBI in the Narada scam case. It has been alleged that the state ruling party leaders played a key role in stopping the CBI from performing its legal duty after the arrest of four leaders in the case. Ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra and former mayor of Kolkata Sovan Chatterjee were arrested by the CBI which is investigating the Narada sting tape case on a 2017 order of the high court.