NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear on September 5 the plea by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee seeking approval to go to Dubai for a medical procedure.
The top court had on May 17 granted relief to the TMC leader and his wife Rujira Banerjee by asking the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to examine them in its Kolkata office, instead of summoning them to Delhi, after giving a 24-hour advance notice.
The bench had also stayed the Delhi High Court order which had dismissed the pleas filed by the TMC MP and his wife seeking quashing of summonses issued to them in a money-laundering probe.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit, at the outset, was urged by senior advocate Kapil Sibal that the leader has to go to Dubai for a medical procedure and the central probe agency has opposed it alleging he may not come back.
"There is urgency. He wanted to go to Dubai for a medical procedure. We filed a petition in the (Calcutta) high court and there they opposed saying I will not return back," Sibal said.
Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the ED, reminded the court that they have been granted the relief of being interrogated in Kolkata.
"We will list this matter on Monday then. Whatever you want to file you either file or keep it ready with yourself," the CJI, who was on the bench with Justice S Ravindra Bhat, said.
The court had, while allowing the couple to be questioned in Kolkata, observed it will not tolerate any kind of "interference or hooliganism" and said the state shall provide adequate police protection to ED officials there.
The ED had told the top court, according to them, the TMC MP is a "potential accused".
On May 17 last year, a high voltage political drama was witnessed in Kolkata as TMC supporters held demonstrations at various places, while Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offered to court arrest protesting the detention of two West Bengal ministers in the Narada case by CBI.
TMC supporters had raised slogans against the BJP-led NDA government and hurled stones and bricks at security personnel outside Nizam Palace, which houses the CBI office, protesting the arrests.
The 34-year-old MP, a nephew of Mamata Banerjee, represents the Diamond Harbour seat in the Lok Sabha and is the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Banerjee, who was questioned by Enforcement Directorate in the alleged coal pilferage scam for seven hours on Friday, dared Union Home Minister Amit Shah to put him behind bars if he committed any wrong.
Banerjee said he won't cow down to threats and summonses of the central agencies, and vowed to strengthen further movements against the saffron camp soon.
"If needed, I am ready to face questioning 30 times, but will not bow my head before the BJP. I have attacked his (Amit Shah's) son over the national flag issue but that does not mean the ED and CBI can be used to threaten me."
Video footage of BCCI secretary Jay Shah, son of the Union home minister, appearing to turn down an offer to wave the national flag after India beat Pakistan in an Asia Cup match in Dubai on August 28 has sparked a controversy.
"I dare him to prove I have committed a wrong and put me behind bars," he said.
The TMC national general secretary alleged that the country's Home Minister has only one job, "indulge in horse trading of MLAs to topple elected state governments of opposition parties".
The BJP in its turn dismissed the charges as "baseless".
An angry TMC termed the central investigative agencies as "puppets of BJP" and said it is a matter of shame that the country's "hallowed institutions have been taken over" by the saffron party's government at the Centre.
These agencies are actively pursuing BJP's agenda of "vendetta politics", it said.
Banerjee, a TMC MP, appeared before the ED during the day in connection with the investigation into the coal smuggling case.
Banerjee, who is the nephew of TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was interrogated at the ED office at the CGO Complex in Salt Lake.
"Central agencies are reduced to being #PuppetsOfBJP. Whenever BJP feels threatened, they unleash these 'parrots' on those who have not sold their spine or integrity!" the Trinamool Congress tweeted on its official handle.
The TMC also shared on Twitter a series of videos of BJP leaders when the saffron party was in the Opposition at the Centre attacking the then Congress government and had condemning the politicisation of central agencies.
"The BJP is now guilty of the same sins", the TMC said.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed that BJP had admitted that it considers Abhishek Banerjee a "great threat" and is targeting him.
"Their (BJP) top leaders have failed to confront him (Banerjee) politically. So they are misusing ED and the CBI to harass our leader. BJP leaders are announcing the next target and step. SHAMEFUL! #PuppetsOfBJP", Ghosh tweeted.
He also said that central investigative agencies has been "relentlessly targeting" BJP's critics and the Opposition with multiple raids and are harassing them.
West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said that the fear of losing the 2024 Lok Sabha election has left BJP scared.
"Fear of losing the upcoming 2024 elections has left @BJP4India deranged! Outcome? They are trying to put an END TO DEMOCRACY by making @dir_ed and CBI mere #PuppetsOfBJP and harassing Opposition while portraying themselves as saints.
PEOPLE ARE WATCHING, Mr. PM!" Bhattacharya tweeted. Reacting to the allegations, state BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said "If someone has committed no wrong then why is he afraid to face ED and CBI? If he is innocent, he will come out unscathed.
"If anyone has committed any wrong then the law will take its own course," he added.
The ED has lodged a case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002, based on a November 2020 FIR registered by the CBI that alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage scam related to Eastern Coalfields Limited mines in Kunustoria and Kajora areas near Asansol in West Bengal.
The ED had claimed that the 34-year-old TMC parliamentarian was a beneficiary of funds obtained from this illegal trade.
He has denied all charges.