The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday issued fresh summons to Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira Banerjee in connection to an alleged coal scam case, according to PTI.
Abhishek Banerjee and Rujira Banerjee are among the many people accused in the case of alleged illegal mining and theft of coal from the mines of Eastern Coalfields Limited in West Bengal’s Kunustoria and Kajora areas.
The central agency has asked Abhishek Banerjee to come in for questioning on March 21 and Rujira Banerjee on March 22, ANI reported.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday had said that the Enforcement Directorate was summoning many Trinamool Congress leaders, including Malay Ghatak and Anubrata Mondal, on baseless charges, The Telegraph reported.
The Delhi High Court on March 11 had dismissed a plea filed by Abhishek Banerjee and Rujira Banerjee, challenging the Enforcement Directorate summons.
This is not the first time they had sought to suspend the central agency’s direction.
In September, Rujira Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee had approached the Delhi High Court to quash the summons.
In her plea, Rujira Banerjee had said that the Enforcement Directorate’s complaint against her was “arbitrary, false, vexatious and an abuse of the process of law”. She said it was aimed at “harassing” her family.
On September 21, the court had refused to grant them interim relief in relation to the summons.
The allegations
In November 2020, the Central Bureau of Investigation had filed a case against the general managers of Eastern Coalfield Limited as well as a person named Anup Manjhi. Based on the Central Bureau of Investigation’s case, the Enforcement Directorate also started an investigation.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had alleged that Abhishek Banerjee had received kickbacks from Trinamool Congress leader Vinay Mishra who was involved in the illegal mining. The BJP also claimed that Abhishek Banerjee channelled these funds into the Trinamool Congress.
In February, the Central Bureau of Investigation had served a notice to Rujira Banerjee asking her to join the inquiry.
Meanwhile, Abhishek Banerjee and Rujira have both denied all charges.
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