Cattle smuggling PMLA case: Delhi HC grants bail to Sukanya Mondal after 15 months

New Delhi [India], September 10 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Sukanya Mondal after 16 months after her arrest in a money laundering case linked to India-Bangladesh border cattle smuggling. She is daughter of Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal.

Sukanya was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on April 26, 2023. Since then, she was in custody.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna granted her bail in the matter. Her bail plea has been pending before the High Court since last year.

Her regular bail plea was dismissed by the trial court on June 1, 2023. Thereafter, she has approached the High court for seeking bail.

The apex court had passed a direction to decide the bail application within three weeks after reopening of the High Court.

Senior advocate Vikas Pahwa has appeared for Sukanya Mondal. He submitted that she was arrested in April 2023. Since then she is in custody. Enforcement Directorate has already filed a Prosecution Complaint (Charge sheet) against her.

Before the trial court, Advocate Amit Kumar counsel for Sukanya had argued that she should be granted bail in the Parity with another accused Tanya Sanyal who was not arrested and a charge sheet was filed without arrest.

He had also submitted that Tanya is wife of BSF commandant Satish Kumar who is also one of the accused. Allegations against Tanya is that she received bribe money of Cattle smuggling from Enamul Haque and laundered the same.

Despite, being an accused in both CBI and ED, cases Tanya was granted regular bail. Her bail was not opposed by the ED; the counsel had argued.

Advocate Amit Kumar had also argued that the applicant Sukanya also compromised her health due to the investigation of the case. Her surgery was due and she was to travel to Coachin. After receiving the summon she joined the investigation and was arrested.

The investigation is over and charge sheet has been filed. There is nothing incriminating against the applicant, the counsel argued.

ED through Special Public Prosecutor (SPP) had submitted that there is incriminating material against the accused. A charge sheet has been filed. She should not be enlarged on bail. The bail application may be dismissed.

He argued that the issue of national security and weakening of Economy of the country is involved in the matter.

He also had argued that Anubrata Mondal, father of applicant is an uneducated person and his whole business activities were taken care of by the applicant.

Her father is a TMC leader and in custody in ED case. He has been granted bail by the Supreme court in the CBI case on July 30.

It is also alleged that the accused is a teacher in West Bengal government. She is actively involved in the business activities as per data collected so far. The total cash proceed of crime deposited in her various bank accounts and her business entities are worth several crores.

Anubrata Mondal, Trinamool Congress Party’s president of Birbhum district and said to be a close aide of chief minister Mamata Banerjee, was earlier arrested by the CBI in connection with the same case in July 2022.

ED arrested him in the alleged multi-crore cattle smuggling scam after questioned him inside the Asansol jail where he was lodged.

In the case, the court earlier noted that, this case of ED is based upon the Scheduled Offence (CBI case), the proceedings of which are going on there at Asansol, West Bengal in a CBI Court and some accused have been running into Judicial custody in connection with those proceedings of the CBI case.