SC defers hearing on WB, TMC plea on chitfund scam

The hearing for ‘court monitoring Saradha ponzi scam’ as demanded by the TMC was postponed by the Supreme Court on Tuesday.

The matter was supposed to be heard at 2.45 pm on Tuesday but the petitioners were told that the hearing will be postponed citing busy schedule over ‘collegiums meeting’. The date for next hearing is yet to be decided. On January 19, concerned over the ‘malicious’ intention of ‘BJP-CBI nexus’ for political vendetta, TMC as well as the West Bengal government had filed two separate petitions before the Supreme Court (SC) requesting the apex body to monitor the Saradha ponzi scam. TMC party general secretary Mahua Moitra had filed the petition, which was placed by the former Additional Solicitor General Vivek Tanka on behalf of the party. Moitra’s petition was followed by West Bengal government’s petition, which was filed by senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal.

In the petition, Moitra had raised several issues including alleged link between the CBI and the BJP in terms of selective leaks from the investigating agency to the ruling party. She claimed in the petition, “Even before the CBI’s action and decisions, BJP leaders are giving reactions on Saradha probe developments and making it public.” “How this can happened,” she questioned.

“Direct and restrain the CBI to desist from leaking the details of investigation in the cases being investigated by the CBI in terms of judgment dated May 09, 2014 to the media/press,” one of her pleas reads. 

The present Application is being preferred on behalf of the Applicant, the General Secretary of WB Pradesh Trinamool Congress, for directions in the present case since it appears that the CBI is now merely acting as an instrument in the hands of the ruling government at the Centre and seems to be conducting the investigation to strategically target prominent leaders of one Political Party so as to destabilize the State Government and try and leave the party bereft of leaders at the helm; in line with the political agenda of the ruling government at the Centre,” her plea alleged.