Arrest of TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya not illegal, says Supreme Court

PTI

Delhi, October 20

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya's plea against his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment of primary schoolteachers in West Bengal, observing the ED's action was not illegal.

WB recruitment scam

• ED arrested MLA Manik Bhattacharya on October 11 in teachers' recruitment scam
• Bhattacharya is former chairman of West Bengal Board of Primary Education
• ED had seized various incriminating documents during the search at his premises

The top court refused to accept Bhattacharya's argument that his arrest was illegal because of an interim order granting him protection in the CBI case, registered in the same matter.

A Bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Vikram Nath noted the ED's submission about seizure of various incriminating documents during the search at the lawmaker's premises.

"We cannot hold the arrest of the petitioner illegal as the issue of money laundering or there being proceeds of crime had not surfaced before the Single Judge or the Division Bench of the High Court.

"Before us, however, it had been brought to our notice in the course of hearing on the question of interim order passed in the instant special leave petitions that the petitioner had been cooperating with investigation by the ED and the CBI," the Bench said.

The apex court said a general protective order, directing any other investigating agency to insulate the petitioner from any coercive action, could not be passed in another proceeding started by a different agency.

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#enforcement directorate #supreme court #west bengal