TMC leaders' assets case : SC quashes plea to make ED a party

kolkata: The Supreme Court observed on Thursday that increase of assets of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders did not go up disproportionately and there was no point in making the Enforcement Directorate (ED) a party in the case.

It was learnt that reportedly the Supreme Court has quashed the appeal in the matter.

Biplab Kumar Roy Chowdhury and Anindya Sundar das had filed a PIL before the Calcutta High Court alleging that the assets of Trinamool Congress leaders had gone up since 2011. In 2017, a PIL was filed in the Court of the Chief Justice to know how the assets had gone up by several times. Trinamool leaders whose names appeared on the list included Jyotipriya Mullick, Malay Ghatak, Gautam Deb, Iqbal Ahmed, Firhad Hakim, Swarnakamal Saha, Abdur Rezzak Mollah, Rajib Bandyopadhyay, Biman Bandyopadhyay, Sheuli Saha and Sabyasachi Dutta.

In the case related to the assets of Trinamool leaders, the High Court division bench had ordered to make ED a party in the case.

Challenging the High Court order, Trinamool Congress leader Swarnakamal Saha moved a petition before the Supreme Court. The apex court quashed the petition and said there was no point in adding ED to the case and the asset did not go up disproportionately. Reacting to the Supreme Court order Firhad Hakim said that the matter was politically motivated as despite Income Tax being paid the case was filed on the ground of disproportionate assets. Trinamool state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said it has been proved that the case does not have any basis.