Trinamool Congress (TMC) ministers Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, MLA Madan Mitra were brought to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) office in Kolkata on Monday in connection with the Narada scam.
Along with the TMC leaders, former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee was also brought to the CBI office. Earlier, on May 10, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had sanctioned the prosecution of Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee in the Narada scam being investigated by the CBI.
“After taking note of media reports that Governor of the State of West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar has accorded sanction for prosecution in respect of persons who happened to be members of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, it is made categorically apparent that Governor of the State of West Bengal Jagdeep Dhankhar accorded sanction for prosecution in respect of Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee, for the reason that all of them at the relevant time of commission of crime were holding the position of Ministers in the Government of West Bengal,” the Raj Bhavan said in a release.
According to Raj Bhavan, the CBI had made a request to the West Bengal Governor and provided all the documentation pertinent to the case.
In March 2017, the Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI inquiry in the case. The West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had moved the Supreme Court to stop the CBI inquiry but the Supreme Court declined.
The Narada scam made national headlines in 2014 when Journalist Matthew Samuel conducted a sting operation in Kolkata. In the purported sting operation video, TMC leaders were seen taking money. A police officer was also seen in the video.
(With inputs from ANI)
