Coal scam: Delhi HC refuses to grant interim relief to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, wife Rujira Banerjee

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant interim relief to Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira Banerjee in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal. Further, the HC asked the ED to respond to the plea in three days. 

Justice Yogesh Khanna listed the matter for further hearing on 27 September.

Abhishek Banerjee and his wife were seeking quashing of summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). 

Both were asked by the agency to personally appear before it in Delhi under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, along with a voluminous set of documents on 21 September.

They have contended that they are residents of Kolkata and should not be compelled to join the probe in the national capital.

The petitioners alleged that they have serious apprehensions about the fairness of the investigation being conducted by the ED owing to the fact that the respondent is adopting a pick and choose attitude with respect to certain persons and is giving undue benefit and protection to complicit individuals and in return extracting false, baseless and malicious statements from them.

"The respondent agency is also selectively leaking information to the media with the intent of harming the reputation of the petitioners and encouraging a media trial, the details of which are further elaborated in the accompanying petition, in order to falsely embroil the Petitioners in baseless and scandalous allegations," read the plea.

The ED opposed the plea saying money laundering has national and trans national ramifications and its investigation is not restricted to any police station or area.

In this particular alleged illegal coal mining case, in the state of West Bengal, the CBI had already interrogated Abhishek Banerjee.