New Delhi [India], October 22 (Always First): The Rouse Avenue Court of Delhi on Saturday sent Sehegal Hossain, the former bodyguard of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal to Enforcement Directorate (ED) custody till October 28, 2022, in connection with West Bengal cattle smuggling case.
Special Judge Raghubir Singh on Saturday sent Sehegal Hossain in ED custody till October 28 and said the medical test has to be done at regular intervals of 24 hours.
The same court recently directed the Jail Superintendent, Asansol Correctional Home, Asansol, Paschim Bardhaman, West Bengal to produce accused Sehegal Hossain before this Court upon receiving either the copy of this order or the production warrant or both.
The Rouse Avenue Court production warrant was later challenged by Sehegal Hossain in Delhi High Court and Supreme Court of India but he didn’t get any relief and stay on the production warrant by the trial court.
Earlier, ED while seeking the issuance of a production warrant had informed the Court that accused Sehegal Hossain is not included in the list of 12 accused persons so arrayed in the Complaint and Supplementary Complaint.
However, he is in judicial custody in connection with the Scheduled Offence lodged by the CBI there in the State of West Bengal and as apprised during the course of arguments, he has also been taken into formal custody by the ED as of 07.10.2022 in pursuance of the permission of custodial interrogation order dated 28.09.2022 obtained from the CBI Court there in the State of West Bengal.
In April, the trial court had taken cognizance of a chargesheet filed by ED against former Trinamool Congress youth wing leader Vinay Mishra, his brother Vikas Mishra and Mohammad Enamul Haque, the alleged kingpin of a cattle smuggling racket across the India-Bangladesh border.
The trial Court noted that the prosecution complaint (Chargesheet) had been filed by the ED under Sections 44 and 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 for the commission of an offence under Sections 3 and 70 of PMLA punishable under Section 4 of PMLA.
The Trial Court judge while taking cognizance of the ED Chargesheet, said that he had gone through the complaint and the accompanying documents and there was sufficient material to proceed against the accused.
Accordingly, the cognizance of the offence under Sections 3 and 70 PMLA punishable under Section 4 PMLA was taken.
Earlier in January, the Supreme Court had granted Enamul Haque bail in a CBI case. The bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Dinesh Maheshwari had granted bail to Haque in a case involving the smuggling of cattle on the India-Bangladesh border with the help of the Border Security Force (BSF) commandant at the Murshidabad border, West Bengal.
It was alleged that cattle smuggling was carried out at Haque’s instance and he paid bribes to the security personnel to facilitate the trade. Earlier, the CBI had also arrested Haque and contented that he had taken advantage of the porous borders to move items across.
The CBI had contended that Haque is an influential man since he managed to enter India through the border despite the “Look Out Circular”.
“If he is released it would render further investigation vulnerable,” contended the CBI. (Always First)
