- Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
Shubham Ghosh
SUPREME Court judge Justice Aniruddha Bose on Tuesday (22) recused himself from hearing appeals of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and the state’s law minister, Moloy Ghatak, about their role on the day of arrest of three current leaders and one former leader of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the Narada sting tape case.
As soon as a vacation bench comprising Justices Hemant Gupta and Bose arrived to commence the day’s proceedings, the former said the other was recusing himself from hearing the appeals. Presiding over the bench, Justice Gupta said the issue would be now placed before Chief Justice NV Ramana who may take the decision and the pleas may be listed for hearing during the day itself.
The apex court was scheduled to hear three appeals including that of the state government challenging the Calcutta High Court’s denial for filing of affidavits by Banerjee and Ghatak in their role on the arrest of the four politicians – Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee — on May 17 by the central investigative agency. It was alleged that the TMC played a key role in stopping the central agency from carrying out its legal duty after arresting the four men.
Initially, the Bengal government and the law minister had moved the top court with their appeals and later, chief minister Banerjee filed her plea against the high court’s order of June 9. On that day, a five-judge bench of the high court, hearing the central agency’s application for transfer of the Narada sting tape case from the special CBI court to the high court, had said that it will later decide on considering the affidavits by Banerjee and Ghatak on their respective roles on the day of arrest of the four leaders.
On June 18, the apex court had asked the high court to hear the case, a day after it considered the appeals of the state government and Ghatak against the order.
