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Sukanya Mondal has moved the Delhi High Court seeking regular bail in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling case. She was denied bail by the trial court on June 1.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) in Trinamool Congress (TMC) Leader Anubrata Mondal’s daughter Sukanya Mondal's bail plea in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling case.
Counsel for Sukanya submitted, "This is an application for grant of regular bail. The only request is that the connected matter where arrest has been challenged is coming up on August 9, in the same ECIR".
The bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma noted that the petitioner is a young lady of around 31 years of age, who was arrested on April 26, and that one co-accused lady, Tanya Sanyal has been released on bail in the same case.
The single-judge bench issued notice to the ED in the bail plea. "Issue Notice. Learned Special Public Prosecutor accepts notice. Status report is to be filed. List it on August 9", the court ordered.
Notably, on June 1, the trial court denied bail to Sukanya. She was arrested in the case, by ED on April 26.
It is to be noted that on May 24, Sukanya moved the High Court seeking direction to quash the ED complaint as well as the consequential proceedings in connection with the case.
Counsel for Sukanya had submitted, “It's a quashing petition, seeking the quashing of the ED complaint as well as consequential proceedings. I am also challenging the arrest”.
“On the basis of my lord, primarily on one ground. My case is squarely covered under one judgment of the Supreme Court, in Vijay Madan Lal Mohan Lal Choudhary, which says that if the accused is not involved for the predicate offence…cannot be involved in the scheduled offence”, he had contended.
Mondal's counsel had also submitted that for being prosecuted for money laundering as per Section 3 of PMLA, Sukanya has to be accused of the scheduled offence. He had also stated that Mondal's father is accused in the CBI case- in the scheduled offence, and that no one except her is accused in the ED case.
It is alleged that Sukanya, a teacher in the West Bengal government, was actively involved in business activities as per data collected so far and the total cash proceeds of crime deposited in her various bank account and her business entities were worth several crores.
In related news, the trial court dismissed the TMC leader Anubrata Mondal’s default bail plea and the same is pending for consideration before the Delhi High Court. ED arrested him in the allegedly multi-crore cattle smuggling scam after questioning him inside the Asansol Jail where he is lodged.
Case Title: Sukanya Mondal v. Directorate of Enforcement
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