Tamang case: CBI's plea to issue arrest warrants rejected

The City Sessions Court on Tuesday rejected the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s plea to issue arrest warrants against Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) chief Bimal Gurung and 21 others in connection with the murder of All India Gorkha League leader Madan Tamang.

On Monday, the CBI's counsel Arun Bhagat had submitted before the court that framing of charges would not be possible without all the accused in this connection turning up at the court and he had subsequently pleaded to issue non-bailable warrants against them.

Out of the 54 accused in this connection four have died, two are still absconding and 26 had turned up before the City Sessions Court on Monday.

Kundan Kumar Kumai, Chief Judge of the City Sessions Court had rejected the CBI's plea on Tuesday. The court has also fixed August 1 to 4 for hearings on framing of charges against the accused persons.

The defense counsel has submitted before the court that some of the accused, who had turned up at the court on Monday, were being questioned by cops after they went to Gorkha Bhavan in Salt Lake from the court.

The court has directed both the Kolkata Police and Bidhannagar Police to submit a report after probing the allegation of the defense counsel.