Narada case: Calcutta High Court orders house arrest of top TMC leaders, stays bail plea

The Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the house arrest of the two Bengal cabinet ministers Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee and two former ministers Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee in connection with the Narada sting case. 

The Court ordered that the TMC leaders will be kept under house arrest instead of jail, in tune with the recent judgment of the Supreme Court in the Gautam Navlakha case.

The four were granted interim bail by a Special CBI Court on May 17. However, this bail order was stayed by the Calcutta High Court after a hearing conducted that same evening.

The bail order stay was granted after the CBI sought a transfer of the case from the CBI Court, while also citing a threat to the probe agency.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress leader's counsel Abhishek Manu Singhvi sought a stay on the house arrest order. 

Three of the top Trinamool leaders, Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, and Madan Mitra along with former Mayor Sovan Chatterjee were arrested by CBI after high drama earlier this week.

Justice Arijit Banerjee of the Calcutta HC bench has agreed to grant interim bail to the arrested TMC leaders.

However, the acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal has ordered house arrest and said let the matter be referred to a larger bench for interim bail.