The special CBI court has sent former general manager of Eastern Coalfield Limited (ECL), Subhas Mukherjee to three days CBI custody, today.
Yesterday, after marathon interrogation, the CBI sleuths arrested the former general manager of ECL at Nizam Palace in Kolkata and informed his wife that he will be produced before the special CBI court in Asansol on Saturday.
Earlier, the CBI has arrested seven, present and former, employees of ECL, including four general managers. One of the four general managers is still working in ECL.
The arrest of so many general managers in the coal pilferage case has rocked the nation and has put questions of supervision on its parent organization Coal India Limited (CIL) and the Union coal ministry.
Two central ministries are directly related to coal production and security of ECL – coal and home ministry. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is under the home ministry, is entrusted for guarding the leasehold area of ECL in West Bengal and Jharkhand.
Advocate Uday Chand Mukherjee said that his client had already retired about three months ago from ECL. He has always cooperated with the CBI every time he has been called in.
“We have received back the certificates and papers CBI has seized after raids at his house and office in 2020. The proof of the money seized will be submitted to the court in the next hearing. All the properties and the certificates have been purchased before 2008 and the CBI has lodged the case in 2020,” he added.
The special CBI court judge, Rajesh Chakraborty had earlier sent the seven persons to five days CBI custody. All of them will be produced on 18 July. The CBI alleged that all the arrested persons are directly linked with the coal mafias.
There has been very slow progress in the investigations in the illegal coal mining scam investigation by CBI since lodging the FIR in 2020.