Kolkata, Nov 12: A special court in Kolkata on Sunday sent West Bengal minister Jyotipriya Mallick, arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution case in the state, to a four-day judicial custody. Mallick, the current state forest minister and former food & supplies minister, will have to stay in judicial custody and will be presented in the same court on November 16 for the next course of hearing.
Meanwhile, even on Sunday, the minister’s counsel did not move any bail petition on behalf of his client, which was quite contrary to the minister’s earlier claims that he would be released at the next hearing.
However, the counsel highlighted the critical medical conditions of his client and made a plea to the court to arrange for his treatment.
On Sunday, the ED counsel claimed in court that, following his wish, his wife and daughter were made directors of three out of ten corporate entities whose names surfaced during the course of the investigation in the ration distribution case.
“The accused has himself confirmed this during the course of interrogation. However, he had denied playing any role in managing the companies,” the central agency counsel argued.
The ED counsel also sought the permission of the court to question Mallick within the correctional home premises.
“We have already secured some clues by questioning him and we need to conduct further interrogation,” the central agency counsel submitted.
Meanwhile, a network of accounting experts, including some qualified chartered accountants, have come under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the agency’s investigation into the multi-crore ration distribution case in West Bengal.
Sources said that while examining different documents and clues accumulated in connection with the case, the agency was surprised by the orchestrated system of operations in the entire case, starting from collection of proceeds to diversion using shell corporate entities and finally investing portions of the proceeds in diverse businesses and real estate sectors. (IANS)
