SC extends stay on HC order to quiz Abhishek

Kolkata: The Supreme Court is learnt to have further extended the stay on the Calcutta High Court’s order that permitted the CBI and ED to question the TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the teacher recruitment corruption case.

The apex court is learnt to have further extended the say till Friday. Previously, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India, D Y Chandrachud stayed the order passed by the High Court on April 13.

The stay order was to remain in effect till the next hearing on the matter on April 24. Abhishek had filed a plea in the apex court and during the hearing of the matter on Monday, the SC is learnt to have further extended the stay order.

The high court order on April 13 allowed the CBI and the ED to interrogate Abhishek Banerjee in the teacher recruitment corruption following expelled TMC youth leader Kuntal Ghosh’s allegation that the Central probe agencies were pressurising him to name Abhishek. Kuntal, who is in judicial custody at Presidency Central Correctional Home in connection with the scam, made the allegation in a letter to a local police station. Coincidentally, during a public meeting on March 29, Abhishek alleged that during the investigation of the Saradha chit fund scam, the CBI officers had put pressure on TMC leaders such as Madan Mitra to name him.

A Special Leave Petition was also filed in the High Court alleging that “unsubstantiated aspersions” were cast on Banerjee by ordering the Central probe agencies to question him despite Abhishek not being a party to the case nor connected to the writ petition that was being heard.