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

New Delhi [India], May 4 : The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday filed a supplementary chargesheet against Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal in connection with the cattle smuggling case.

The matter was listed on Monday for further hearing.

Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) judge Raghubeer Singh accepted the ED chargesheet and directed the ED to supply a copy of the chargesheet to Anubrata Mondal. A copy of the chargesheet was also sent to the counsel for the co-accused in the case of Sukanya Mondal, Anubrata's daughter.

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 counsel apologised before the court and submitted that the accused may be allowed to be produced through video conferencing in view of his bad health.

The court asked the counsel to file a proper application.

Sukanya Mondal, who was also arrested in connection with the cattle smuggling case, is currently in judicial custody after being interrogated by the ED for three days in its custody.

Anubrata, who is the TMC president for Birbhum district, is said to be a close aide of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in connection with the same case in July last year.

The ED arrested him in the alleged multi-crore cattle smuggling scam after questioning him inside the Asansol jail where he was lodged.

The court earlier noted that this case of ED is based on the Scheduled Offence (CBI case), the proceedings of which are going on at Asansol, West Bengal in a CBI court and some accused have been in judicial custody in connection with the proceedings in the CBI case.

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