NEW DELHI: The ‘ED vs West Bengal CM’ proceedings in SC on Tuesday saw a sharp exchange between the bench and CM Mamata Banerjee‘s counsel Kapil Sibal.When the bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and N V Anjaria asked how ED could file a complaint against the CM before a state authority headed by her, Sibal said the bench was presuming guilt. “Do not say that it is a fact. It is just an allegation,” he said, adding that the charges are yet to be probed.
The bench clarified it was not assuming anything. “It is an allegation… every allegation is based on some facts; if there are no facts, there is no need for it to be investigated. That is what they are praying for CBI to investigate,” it said.Sibal then urged the bench not to “get upset”. The court clarified that asking questions did not mean that the bench is agitated. “Do not agitate us by saying that we are agitated,” the bench told Sibal. The proceedings, thereafter, went on smoothly.The court was hearing petitions by ED and its officers against the state govt, CM, Kolkata police commissioner and others, seeking a CBI probe for allegedly obstructing ED officials during raids on January 8 at multiple locations in Kolkata, including the office of political consultancy firm I-PAC, in a money laundering probe linked to the coal scam. tnn
