Narada case: Calcutta HC to hear leaders’ recall plea against stay on bail today

A five-judge bench of the Calcutta high court will hear today the recall petition of the four politicians, accused in the 2016 Narada sting operation case, against a stay order on their bail.

The four politicians are: Sitting ministers of Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government, Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, Trinamool Congress legislator Madan Mitra, and former MLA Sovan Chatterjee.

They were arrested by the CBI on May 17. Even though a special CBI court granted them interim bail, the Calcutta high court stayed the bail and sent them to judicial custody. On May 21, however, the HC put them under house arrest and constituted a larger five bench to hear the bail plea.

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On Thursday, appearing for the agency, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought that the entire proceedings that took place at a special CBI court on May 17 be declared as vitiated.

The five judge bench headed by acting Chief Justice of Calcutta high court, however, questioned the CBI if a judicial order can be disregarded on the basis of public perception.

Appearing on behalf of Subrata Mukherjee, TMC MP and advocate Kalyan Banerjee told the court that when a recall application on a stay order is filed, it must be heard within two weeks. The recall petition was filed on May 19.

The Narada sting case pertains to a controversy that erupted ahead of the 2016 assembly elections after Narada News portal uploaded a series of videos purportedly showing a number of high-profile TMC leaders receiving money in exchange for favours to a fictitious company.