SC defers Balwant Singh Rajoana – 1995 killer of Punjab CM Beant Singh – plea for release
Senior advocate Rohatgi, appearing for Rajoana, urged the bench to grant temporary release to Rajoana.
Anticipating that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) might now approach the Supreme Court for a transit remand to take Sehgal Hossain, bodyguard of Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal, to New Delhi for questioning in the multi- crore cattle smuggling scam, his counsel filed a caveat in the apex court on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court’s single- judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh rejected the ED’s appeal for a transit remand for taking Hossain to New Delhi. Besides criticizing the ED for the manner in which the later was keeping options of approaching multiple courts open in the matter, Ghosh said that since the case related to Hossain is being heard by a special court at Asansol in West Burdwan district, and that particular court would have been the right forum for the ED to approach in this matter.
Hossain’s counsel apprehends that the ED sleuths, desperate to take him to New Delhi, might approach the apex court against this order of the Calcutta High Court and hence the caveat was filed there.
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Hossain is currently under judicial custody at Asansol Special Correctional Home in West Burdwan district. Although the central agency has the court’s permission to question Hossain at the prisons, the ED sleuths feel that there is a necessity for a marathon grilling, which is not possible while he is in judicial custody. Hence, they want to take him into custody and also to New Delhi.
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