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Arpita Mukherjee's life under threat; food, water must be tested: ED in court
Arpita Mukherjee's advocate, while claiming a threat to her life, pleaded before the court to get her Division 1 prisoner category.
Former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee's close aide Arpita Mukherjee's life is under threat and her food and water need to be tested first and then should be given," said the Enforcement Directorate (ED) told the Special PMLA court on Friday.
Mukherjee's advocate, while claiming a threat to her life, pleaded before the court to get her Division 1 prisoner category. ED advocate Phiroz Edulzi agreed with the argument of Mukherjee's lawyer of life threat and said she should not be kept with more than four prisoners in general.
Special PMLA court judge Jibon Kumar Sadhu granted 14 days' judicial remand of Chatterjee and Mukherjee on a prayer by the ED. The court rejected a bail prayer of the former minister and directed that both the accused be produced on August 18 when the matter will be heard again.
Chatterjee's advocate had pleaded for bail citing that he will not be harmful. "As he is not a political person now he can leave the MLA post if required," the lawyer said.
"No one has come out and said that he had asked for bribe, neither in the CBI case nor in ED. Can they show any witness that he has asked for a bribe? Partha Chatterjee is not connected with the crime and the allegations levelled by the CBI are not appropriate," argued Partha's lawyer.
"In the ED case on July 22, when his house was raided nothing has been recovered. If you try to ask a man who is not involved in the crime, he will obviously be non-cooperative," he added.
Chatterjee and Mukherjee have been in ED's remand since their arrest on July 23 in connection with its probe into the money trail in illegal recruitments done by the School Service Commission (SSC) for West Bengal government-sponsored and aided schools.
The ED has claimed that it recovered ₹49.80 crore in cash, jewellery and gold bars from apartments owned by Mukherjee, besides documents of properties and a company in joint holding.
The duo is facing charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
(With inputs from agencies)
