After a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the multi-crore Saradha and Rose Valley scams the Narada sting operation is also heading for another CBI investigation.
After a CBI probe into the multi-crore Saradha and Rose Valley scams, the Narada sting operation is also heading for another CBI investigation.
During a hearing of the case at the Calcutta High Court under the division bench of acting Chief Justice Nishita Mhatre and Tapabrata Chakraborty when Attorney General Jayanta Mitra said that there was no crime involved and thus the state would not initiate a probe into the matter, Justice Mhatre said that since the state did want an investigation, there can be a probe ordered by an independent agency.
The court had observed that what can be a problem if there was such a probe? It also said that whenever there was an allegation against leaders of the ruling party, the state should initiate an independent probe but more often than not, it is not done.
TMC MP and lawyer for the accused TMC leaders, Kalyan Banerjee, later talking to DNA said that he had placed his case. “The role of a journalist is to witness and report a crime. In this case we see that the person concerned was playing a participatory role in the crime with a criminal intent. He was seen offering money to the others. There is no foundational fact to the allegation and thus, there is no need for an investigation,” Banerjee said.
Lawyer for the petitioner Arunava Ghosh said that Narada News CEO, Mathew Samuel had submitted three affidavits, whenever he had been asked to, saying that his job was to unearth corruption among people in high places. “They are trying to defend it by saying that it was not a case of taking a bribe so no investigation was required. The court had, then said that in that case there can be an independent agency probe to decide what it was,” he told DNA.
Another lawyer for the petitioner, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya too batted for a CBI inquiry. “We want a CBI probe. That had been our prayer from the beginning and the court asked the defence that why cant there be any. By January 13, we hope there will be a clear verdict as to whether there will be a CBI probe or not,” he told DNA.
The Narada sting operation videos were made public in March 2016, ahead of the Assembly elections and consequently, a number of Public Interest Litigations (PILs) were filed at the division bench of the then Chief Justice Manjulla Chellur.
The videos showed many TMC leaders, ministers and an IPS officer allegedly accepting money from a reporter who had posed as a businessman. The CM had reacted saying that the sting operation had been engineered with the intention of creating a negative impression in the voters’ minds.
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