2 months ago
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The Supreme Court connected Tuesday (May 12, 2026) agreed to perceive the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s plea challenging the assistance of anticipatory bail to Anup Majee, the alleged “mastermind” down the amerciable ember mining scam successful West Bengal, which the bureau claimed operated with the “active” assistance of respective leaders of the All India Trinamool Congress.
A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and Vijay Bishnoi sought Mr. Majee’s effect to the cardinal agency’s plea challenging a June 16, 2025, bid of the Delhi High Court granting him anticipatory bail successful a wealth laundering lawsuit registered successful 2020.
In its order, the High Court had observed that though the probe had been underway for astir 5 years and summons had been issued to Mr. Majee connected aggregate occasions, the ED had made nary effort to apprehend him during this period.
Appearing for the ED, Additional Solicitor General S. V. Raju sought cancellation of the anticipatory bail, contending that Mr. Majee had been absconding and that the lawsuit progressive the large-scale plunder of nationalist resources.
“He was absconding. National resources plundered. ₹2,700 crores… helium is the kingpin,” Mr. Raju submitted.
Delay successful seeking custodial interrogation
The Bench, however, questioned the ED implicit its hold successful seeking custodial interrogation. “He (Mr. Majee) was successful the custody of the CBI. Why did you (ED) not instrumentality him into custody then? Why were you not superior capable implicit the past six months?” the Bench asked.
The instrumentality officer, however, reiterated that Mr. Majee had remained absconding for a sizeable play and had initially failed to cooperate with the investigation.
The Bench past asked whether Mr. Majee was presently cooperating with the probe. “Has helium cooperated successful the investigation?” the Bench enquired.
Mr. Raju responded that determination had been “some cooperation” from Mr. Majee aft helium secured extortion from the court.
Senior advocator Siddhartha Dave, appearing for Mr. Majee, submitted that his lawsuit had extensively cooperated with the probe and had appeared earlier the probe bureau connected 13 occasions. He further argued that custodial interrogation was nary longer necessary.
While cautioning the cardinal bureau against “dragging the matter”, the Bench issued announcement connected the ED’s plea and posted the lawsuit for proceeding successful September.
Coal misappropriated
Before the High Court, the ED had alleged that ember worthy ₹2,742.32 crore had been misappropriated from the leasehold areas of Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) done amerciable excavation and pilferage. ECL is simply a wholly owned subsidiary of Coal India Limited. Several leaders of the All India Trinamool Congress, including enactment MP Abhishek Banerjee’s woman Rujira Banerjee and her household members, are besides nether the scanner of cardinal agencies successful transportation with the alleged scam.
The astir caller searches successful the lawsuit were conducted successful January astatine aggregate locations, including premises successful Kolkata linked to governmental consultancy steadfast Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) and 1 of its directors, Pratik Jain.
The January 8 searches triggered a governmental contention aft the ED alleged successful a property connection that erstwhile West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had entered Mr. Jain’s residence during the raids and “taken distant cardinal evidence”.
Ms. Banerjee, however, claimed that the ED, nether the guise of conducting searches, was attempting to prehend documents related to the party’s predetermination strategy from the I-PAC premises up of the Assembly elections successful the State.
