Battle royale expected in Calcutta High Court over Madan Mitra’s ‘influential’ tag
Last year in October, Calcutta High Court had scrapped the bail given to Mitra by a lower court and sent him marching back to prison.
Madan Mitra’s future will depend largely on the interpretation of what the word ‘influential’ means and whether Madan Mitra still wields enough power to be able to coerce witnesses in the Saradha case.
Last year in October, Calcutta High Court had scrapped the bail given to Mitra by a lower court and sent him marching back to prison. CBI’s appeal against the bail order was not only upheld by the Calcutta High Court, it also invited sharp criticism of the lower judge by the Calcutta HC judge.
An indication of what may transpire in the Calcutta High Court next week was apparent on Saturday itself, when the counsels of both the Trinamool leader and CBI presented the crux of their arguments to the media.
Read: Out of jail after 22 months, Madan sheds atheism
“If the ruling party is standing behind him, which is apparent from the statements of several ministers, it proves that Mitra is influential enough and capable of coercing witnesses. It is immaterial whether Madan Mitra is in or out of power,” K Raghavacharalu, the counsel for CBI, told reporters.
“Does the word influential have any definition?” asked Milon Mukherjee, advocate for the former minister, adding, “Popularity is being misinterpreted as influence.”
“Two persons, whose name features in the CBI charge-sheet, have not been arrested so far. Are they influential, or Madan Mitra, who has spent more than 21 months in jail,” Mukherjee added.