Kolkata, Sep 10 (IANS) The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has once again moved Calcutta High Court to cancel the bail of former state minister Jyoti Priya Mallick and his close aide Anisur Rahman, accused in the ration distribution irregularities case.
The ED approached the High Court on Wednesday.
It may be noted that on October 27, 2023, the ED arrested senior Trinamool Congress leader and then state Forest Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick in ration scam.
The ED said that the then state minister, known by many inside and outside the party as “Balu”, was directly involved in widespread corruption in the distribution of ration in the state during Covid-19 lockdown. He was arrested after a long questioning and collection of evidence.
After about 14 months of his arrest, the court granted him bail in January this year. Just a week after his release on bail, his close aide Anisur, who was also accused in the same case, was also granted bail.
However, the ED has expressed concern that the accused could influence the investigation process after their release on bail.
The ED claims that if they are free, they can influence witnesses and try to destroy or hide important documents in the case.
Therefore, the ED has applied for cancellation of their bail.
Sources said, ED officers told the court that the investigation is still in its initial stage and the amount of financial corruption could be more than thousands of crores of rupees.
As a result, keeping the accused out could have a serious impact on the investigation.
However, the lawyers of Jyoti Priya Mallick have claimed that they have not yet received any documents related to the case. Incidentally, Mallick was on rest for a few days after his release from jail due to physical illness.
Currently, he is again active in politics and looking after the organisation in North 24 Parganas district ahead of 2026 state Assembly polls.
In addition to visiting his Assembly constituency Habra, he recently visited the Camac Street office of the party’s All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and attended an important meeting.
–IANS
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