A bench comprising CJI Gogoi, Justice Khanna will take up the plea at 10.30am

A bench comprising CJI Gogoi, Justice Khanna will take up the plea at 10.30am

A bench comprising CJI Gogoi, Justice Khanna will take up the plea at 10.30am

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday night said that her dharna against the CBI's attempt to grill the Kolkata Police chief in the chit fund scam cases will continue till Friday in view of the upcoming board examinations. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Supreme Court will take up a plea from the CBI that alleges contempt of court orders by the Kolkata Police.

Banerjee is sitting on a dharna at the Metro Channel in the Esplanade area in the heart of Kolkata, the same spot she had sat on a 26-day fast in 2006 against the acquisition of farmland at Singur for the Tata Motors factory. Banerjee has termed her dharna as a "satyagraha" against the CBI and the Narendra Modi government, which she said was attempting a "coup" in Bengal.

"This demonstration will continue till February 8. Because the board examinations will be starting soon, we will not be playing the loudspeakers," Banerjee said.

Earlier on Monday, Banerjee had said she would continue her "satyagraha" till the country and its Constitution were "saved".

A CBI team had gone to Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar's residence in Kolkata on Sunday to question him in connection with multi-crore chit fund scams, but was denied permission, bundled into jeeps and whisked away to a police station.

The Trinamool Congress supremo has accused Modi and BJP president Amit Shah of trying to organise a "coup" in the state and alleged that National Security Adviser Ajit Doval is directing the CBI to harass political opponents on the orders of the prime minister.

Effigies of Modi and Shah were burnt in several parts of West Bengal including Burdwan, Birbhum, South 24 Parganas and North 24 Parganas districts. Trinamool activists also blocked trains in Howrah and Hooghly districts and put up blockades on the national highway in Bankura district.

SC hearing today

A Supreme Court bench, comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna, had fixed 10.30am on Tuesday as the time when it would take up the petition by the CBI.

The CBI had originally filed two applications on Monday: one seeking orders for Kumar to present himself for questioning over alleged destruction of evidence and another alleging contempt of court by the Kolkata Police. During the initial hearing, the Supreme Court bench noted there was little in the agency's submission to prove Kumar had tampered with evidence in the chit fund cases. The CBI is expected to file an affidavit showing proof against Kumar.

TAGS