Abhishek Banerjee, wife Rujira move Delhi High Court

Kolkata: TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira have approached the Delhi High Court on Friday requesting to stay the order of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) continuously asking them to make "personal appearance" before the officials there.

Abhishek and Rujira apprehended that although the ED investigation is based on the case registered by the CBI with respect to offences allegedly having taken place in Bengal, the central agency has registered the subject as an ECIR case in New Delhi and has been summoning them along with others there and making their personal appearance mandatory. The Banerjees feel that the whole exercise is politically motivated. The TMC national general secretary had been grilled by ED officials on September 6 when he had met them in Delhi. Abhishek had submitted all the documents the officials had asked for on his return to Kolkata on September 7 evening. The ED had issued another summon asking him to see them on September 8. Abhishek wrote a letter expressing his inability to appear before them on such a short notice and sent the documents he was asked to submit. He was again summoned to Delhi to meet the ED officials on September 22.

Earlier, his wife Rujira Banerjee was asked to see the ED officials on September 3 in New Delhi. She sent a letter, stating that she had two children at home and it was not possible for her to go to Delhi in view of the pandemic situation. However, she maintained that she was ready to meet the officials in Kolkata.

In the petition, Abhishek and Rujira apprehended that the sole purpose of the investigation into an alleged coal scam was harassment by repeatedly asking them to appear before the ED officials in New Delhi. The Banerjees have repeatedly told ED officials that they were ready to cooperate provided the investigation was done in Kolkata.