Cattle smuggling case: ED files supplementary chargesheet against TMC leader Anubrata Mondal

Anubrata Mondal, the leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), was charged with additional offences by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday in relation to the cattle smuggling case.

On Monday, the matter was scheduled for another hearing. Raghubeer Singh, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge, accepted the ED chargesheet and ordered the ED to give Anubrata Mondal a copy of it. The attorney for the co-accused in the case of Sukanya Mondal, Anubrata’s daughter, also received a copy of the chargesheet.

During the hearing, the court came down heavily on the counsel appearing for ED for not filing within time.

The chargesheet was filed at the filing counter but it did not reach the court. Earlier it was directly filed in the court. The court asked the counsel, “Is this the way of working? When you knew that the accused is to be produced in court, then why you did not file the chargesheet within the time?”

The attorney expressed regret in front of the judge and asked that the accused be allowed to be produced via video conference due to his poor health. The lawyer was instructed by the court to submit a proper application.

Sukanya Mondal, who was also detained in relation to the cattle smuggling case, is currently being held in judicial custody after spending three days being questioned by the ED.

Anubrata, the TMC district president for Birbhum, is rumoured to be close to Mamata Banerjee, the chief minister of West Bengal. In connection with the same case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) detained him in July of last year.

After questioning him in the Asansol jail where he was being held, the ED made an arrest in the alleged multi-million dollar cattle smuggling scheme.

The court previously noted that this ED case is based on the Scheduled Offence (CBI case), which is currently being heard in Asansol, West Bengal in a CBI court and regarding which some of the accused have been placed in judicial custody.