Avoid coercive action against Nalini in chit fund scam, SC tells ED
New Delhi, Aug 3: The Supreme Court on Friday restrained the Enforcement Directorate from taking coercive action against Nalini Chidambaram, wife of former Union Minister P. Chidambaram, in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.
A bench of Justice A.K. Sikri and Justice Ashok Bhushan also sought a response from ED and stayed a Madras High Court division bench's July 10 order that refused to quash the summons issued to Nalini Chidambaram by the investigating agency.
She has challenged the order in the apex court. Earlier, a single Judge of the High Court too had rejected her plea against the ED summons.
The ED had directed her to appear as a witness in its probe into alleged money laundering in the scam, in which several key politicians were said to be involved.
The agency had issued the summons on September 7, 2016, as Nalini Chidambaram's name was mentioned in a letter of Saradha scam "mastermind" Sudipta Sen to the Central Bureau of Investigation in April 2013.
Nalini Chidambaram, a senior advocate, was allegedly paid a legal fee of Rs 1 crore by the Saradha Group for her appearances in court and the Company Law Board in a case pertaining to a television channel purchase deal.
If the trend of summoning and calling advocates who have been engaged by their clients for rendering professional services was not nipped in the bud, it may lead to disastrous consequences, she had contended in the High Court.
The ED summons, issued under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, required Nalini Chidambaram to appear before an authorised ED officer at its Kolkata office.
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Ruckus outside counting centre in Mamata's constituency, TMC claims entry of car with BJP flag
Kolkata (PTI): The counting centre at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's Bhabanipur assembly constituency witnessed a ruckus a day ahead of the counting of votes, with TMC workers alleging two cars bearing the BJP's flag were allowed entry to the compound where EVMs are kept.
The incident comes close on the heels of a four-hour-long sit-in by Banerjee in front of the same counting centre at the Sakhawat Memorial Girls School on Thursday night, alleging unauthorised entry of persons into the strongroom.
With the polling now over, the wrangling for power in West Bengal has turned into a battle of nerves between the incumbent TMC and the BJP. Workers and leaders of both parties have been keeping a steely gaze on the security of strongrooms across the state where the electoral fate of the candidates is sealed.
Despite expressing her confidence in a "landslide victory", Banerjee has repeatedly aired her apprehensions of "counting malpractice and EVM tampering ahead of the day of results".
On Sunday morning, TMC workers camping 100 metres from the counting centre alleged that two cars with BJP flags entered the premises and went near the strongroom.
"The CAPF personnel at the spot are not allowing any vehicle or person to enter the premises of the counting centre without valid identity proof. Then how come this car, which we have not seen in the past few days, was allowed entry? Once we protested, the central forces asked us to move 100 metres away," a TMC activist said.
The TMC claimed that while the police personnel posted there promised the vehicle would be removed from the spot, it remained there for some time.
A senior Election Commission official said the car was passing by the Harish Mukherjee Road, and after checking by security forces and police, it was allowed to leave as nothing objectionable was found in it.
On Thursday night, two counting centres, including one at Sakhawat Memorial Girls School in the city, witnessed high drama after TMC leaders alleged a lack of transparency and possible malpractice at the strongrooms housing sealed EVMs of the assembly polls, which concluded on April 29.
TMC leaders and candidates, Sashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh, held a sit-in outside the Khudiram Anushilan Kendra counting centre on Thursday evening, alleging unauthorised activities inside the strongroom amid the absence of TMC agents
In Howrah, TMC protested renovation work by the public works department at a place adjacent to the strongroom, and the EC stopped the work temporarily.
On Saturday, the ruling party filed a complaint with the poll panel, alleging unauthorised sorting of postal ballot covers at the EVM strongroom in Khudiram Anushilan Kendra.
Similar scenes were witnessed on Saturday outside the strongrooms at Asansol College in Paschim Bardhaman and the Barasat Government College in North 24 Parganas districts, where TMC workers held protests, alleging that CCTV cameras were switched off for several minutes.
The EC turned down all allegations, saying the surveillance cameras were working in an uninterrupted manner.
BJP spokesperson Sajal Ghosh told reporters that the people of Bengal were finding it "hilarious" that the TMC, "which used to win elections through unfair means and strongarm tactics" were now coming up with all sorts of "frivolous charges".
"Are they scared of losing?" he posed.
