CID asked to produce arrested J'Khand MLAs before spl court

KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the West Bengal CID to produce three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand, who were arrested in Howrah district after recovery of nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash from their vehicle, before a special court under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act.

Holding that it was for the special court to hear such matters and not the chief judicial magistrate court where they were produced, Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed the state to produce the three MLAs by Thursday itself.

Justice Ghosh said that he will hear their bail petitions, which were taken up for hearing on Thursday, on Friday. The lower court in Howrah, before which the three MLAs were produced on Wednesday, had granted four days' police custody of them.

The three Congress MLAs from Jharkhand -- Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari -- were arrested by the West Bengal Police after around Rs 49 lakh in cash was seized from their vehicle at Panchla in Howrah district on July 30.

The investigation into the case was thereafter handed over to the state CID.