Notice for questioning kept in abeyance: CBI writes to Abhishek

Kolkata: Day after the CBI sent a summon notice to Trinamool’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee despite a Supreme Court stay order on questioning him, the Central probe agency sent another notice on Tuesday claiming that the previous one sent to him is being “kept in abeyance” until further order of the Supreme Court.

The CBI letter that reached Abhishek on Tuesday read: “It is hereby intimated that the effect of the notice served to you on 17.04.2023, u/s 160 CrPC for appearance before the IO of RC 06/A/2023 is kept in abeyance until the further order of the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”

The notice has been signed by the Superintendent of Police, CBI, ACB, Kolkata.

This letter comes after CBI sent a notice to Abhishek on Monday summoning him to the agency’s Nizam Palace office in Kolkata for questioning on the allegations levelled by expelled TMC youth leader Kuntal Ghosh. This created controversy since earlier in the day, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud stayed the order passed by the High Court on April 13 that had permitted questioning of Abhishek by both ED and the CBI. The stay order will remain in effect till the next hearing on the matter scheduled for April 24 when the apex court will take up Banerjee’s plea.

Banerjee wrote on his Twitter handle: “In its desperation to ‘harass’ and ‘target’ me, BJP EXPOSES CBI & ED to CONTEMPT OF COURT! SC stayed the Calcutta HC’s order in the morn that granted permission to the Central Agencies to summon me. Yet, the ‘SUMMON’ was HAND-DELIVERED today at 1:45 pm Grave State of affairs!”

TMC has also lashed out at what the party said was a desperate attempt by the BJP-led Centre to hound the Opposition party leaders using Central probe agencies.

The party’s spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, addressing the press, said that Opposition parties in Bengal such as the BJP and the CPI(M) were elated that Abhishek received the summon notice but they need not be so happy since the notice is ineffective after the Supreme Court order.

Ghosh, lately, has been openly critical of Calcutta High Court’s Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay, alleging that the judge is “misusing his chair for political purposes”. Ghosh is of the opinion that every order by Justice Gangopadhyay allegedly seeks to show Mamata Banerjee’s government in a bad light and that his orders are strengthening the hands of the Opposition parties in the state.

He made the allegations in the light of Justice Gangopadhyay ordering the ED and the CBI to question Abhishek to investigate whether Kuntal Ghosh took the queue from the public speech of Banerjee when he alleged that the Central probe agencies are pressurising him to name Abhishek.

During a public meeting on March 29, Abhishek alleged that during the Saradha chit fund scam probe, the CBI officers had put pressure on TMC leaders, such as Madan Mitra, to name him in the case.