SC notice to CBI on bail plea of TMC leader Anubrata Mondal in cattle-smuggling case
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court sought the CBI's response on Monday on a bail plea moved by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal, who has been arrested in connection with a cattle-smuggling case.
A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi issued a notice to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and sought its reply within two weeks on the plea.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing in the court on behalf of Mondal, submitted that five chargesheets have been filed in the case and everybody is out of jail except the TMC leader.
"I have spent 14 months in jail. The main kingpin was also granted bail by a bench headed by the chief justice," Rohatgi said.
The Calcutta High Court rejected Mondal's bail plea in January.
Mondal had prayed for bail, submitting that he was in custody for more than 145 days.
Holding that further investigation into the alleged amassing of illegal wealth by Mondal was continuing, the high court had said releasing him on bail at this stage would adversely affect the morale and confidence of the witnesses and seriously impact the collection of evidence.
Denying bail to Mondal, a division bench of the high court presided over by Justice Joymalya Bagchi had observed that he continued to hold a powerful political post and had an overwhelming influence not only in the society but also on the state administration.
Opposing Mondal's bail plea, it was alleged by the CBI that as a powerful political personality, the TMC leader had illegally aided and abetted cattle smuggler Enamul Haque and used his influence to ensure a smooth passage of cattle through Birbhum and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal to reach the international border in lieu of wrongful gains.
Representing Mondal, senior counsel Kapil Sibal had submitted that the main accused, Enamul Haque, and co-accused Satish Kumar, a senior Border Security Force (BSF) officer at the time of his arrest, were out on bail.
The CBI had claimed that Mondal was the main facilitator for a smooth transportation of cattle through Birbhum district to Bangladesh.
Mondal's counsel had stated that no such evidence was found.
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Cong takes swipe at PM over India not being part of US-led 'Pax Silica' grouping
New Delh (PTI) The Congress on Saturday said it is perhaps not very surprising that India is not part of a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure silicon supply chain, given the "sharp downturn" in the Trump-Modi ties, and asserted that it would have been to "our advantage if we had been part of this group".
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying the news of India not being part of the group comes after the PM had enthusiastically posted on social media about a telephone call with his "once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC".
In a lengthy post on X, Ramesh said, "According to some news reports, the US has excluded India from a nine-nation initiative it has launched to reduce Chinese control on high-tech supply chains. The agreement is called Pax Silica, clearly as a counter to Pax Sinica. The nations included (for the moment at least) are the US, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia."
"Given the sharp downturn in the Trump-Modi ties since May 10th, 2025, it is perhaps not very surprising that India has not been included. Undoubtedly, it would have been to our advantage if we had been part of this group."
"This news comes a day after the PM had enthusiastically posted on his telephone call with his once-upon-a-time good friend and a recipient of many hugs in Ahmedabad, Houston, and Washington DC," the Congress leader asserted.
The new US-led strategic initiative, rooted in deep cooperation with trusted allies, has been launched to build a secure and innovation-driven silicon supply chain.
According to the US State Department, the initiative called 'Pax Silica' aims to reduce coercive dependencies, protect the materials and capabilities foundational to artificial intelligence (AI), and ensure aligned nations can develop and deploy transformative technologies at scale.
The initiative includes Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and Australia. With the exception of India, all other QUAD countries -- Japan, Australia and the US -- are part of the new initiative.
New Delhi will host the India-AI Impact Summit 2026 on February 19-20, focusing on the principles of 'People, Planet, and Progress'. The summit, announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the France AI Action Summit, will be the first-ever global AI summit hosted in the Global South.
Prime Minister Modi and US President Trump on Thursday discussed ways to sustain momentum in the bilateral economic partnership in a phone conversation amid signs of the two sides inching closer to firming up a much-awaited trade deal.
The phone call between the two leaders came on a day Indian and American negotiators concluded two-day talks on the proposed bilateral trade agreement that is expected to provide relief to India from the Trump administration's whopping 50 per cent tariffs on Indian goods.
In a social media post, Modi had described the conversation as "warm and engaging".
"We reviewed the progress in our bilateral relations and discussed regional and international developments. India and the US will continue to work together for global peace, stability and prosperity," Modi had said without making any reference to trade ties.
