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Mondal is to remain in jail as he was also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate, investigating the matter along with CBI
A division bench of the Supreme Court has today granted bail to Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal in connection with cattle smuggling case registered by the CBI.
Justices Bela M Trivedi and Satish Chandra Sharma noted that the trial was not going to commence anytime soon.
Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Mondal, argued that they were yet to receive the English translation of documents including the charge sheet.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, opposing the grant of bail, submitted before the bench that Mondal could influence the trial.
Mondal had approached the top court challenging the Calcutta High Court's refusal to grant him bail.
Birbhum Trinamool leader Anubrata, was arrested last year in the cow smuggling case. A joint team of the CBI and Food Corporation of India (FCI) had raided the rice mill in the Badhagora area, allegedly belonging to Mondal's nephew, who is also a local Trinamool Congress leader.
The CBI had frozen fixed deposits worth Rs 16.97 crore allegedly belonging to the TMC leader and his family members in connection with its ongoing probe into the Bengal cattle smuggling across the Indo-Bangladesh border. The central agency sleuths detected the fixed deposits during their continuing probe in the case.
Mondal had also approached the Delhi High Court in December 2022 challenging the production warrant issued by Rouse Avenue Court, Delhi in the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) case, in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling case in West Bengal.
Notably, on August 11, 2022, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Anubrata Mondal, a close aide to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in connection with the cattle smuggling case. On August 5, the CBI served a summons on Mondal for questioning in connection with the cattle smuggling case. On August 8, Mondal was summoned to the CBI office at Nizam's Palace in Kolkata.
In April, the trial court took cognizance of a chargesheet filed by the ED against other accused namely former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Vinay Mishra, his brother Vikas Mishra and Md. Enamul Haque, the alleged kingpin of cattle smuggling ruckus across the India-Bangladesh border.
Last year, Mondal had sought direction for no coercive steps stating that he was suffering from a variety of ailments and prayed that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) be asked to question him through video conferencing from his residence at Bolpur in Birbhum.
Case Title: Anubrata Mondal vs. CBI
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