Coal smuggling case: Delhi HC orders ED to issue fresh summons to Bengal law minister

New Delhi, May 10 The Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to issue fresh summons and give 15 days notice to West Bengal law minister Moloy Ghatak for questioning him in the coal smuggling case.

Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma also recorded Additional Solicitor General S. V. Raju's statement that Ghatak will not be arrested in relation to the summons that have already been issued.

The probe agency apprised the court that the minister has been issued at least nine summons.

While the judge passed the order, he also said that he will deal with the issue of Ghatak's plea that he should be questioned in Kolkata and not in Delhi.

In March, the ED summoned Ghatak to appear at its headquarters in the national capital and had fixed March 29 as the date of his appearance. The central agency also summoned the minister's personal assistant to New Delhi on March 23. However, neither of them turned up.

In his plea, Ghatak has alleged that even after his statements have been recorded by the ED, he is being summoned to New Delhi just to "harass" him.

This was not the first time that Ghatak has been summoned by the ED in connection with the coal scam. However, he skipped the summons every time.

In September last year, the ED sleuths conducted raid and search operations at a number of residences of Ghatak and his relatives both at Asansol in West Burdwan district as well as in Kolkata.

The minister also faced marathon questioning at that point of time.

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