A Delhi court has denied bail to Manish Kothari, the chartered accountant of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal, in connection with a multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal. The court ruled that the circumstances were not appropriate for his release. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had accused Kothari of assisting Mondal in channeling money from the illegal cattle smuggling operations through shell companies.
Mondal, who is also in judicial custody, has challenged the Trial Court's order denying him default bail and has filed a plea before the Delhi High Court, which is scheduled for a hearing on July 4. The ED's Special Public Prosecutor has stated that Mondal's bail application lacks merit.
The case involves allegations of money laundering and the illegal smuggling of cattle across the India- Bangladesh border. Kothari argued that his custody was no longer necessary in the case and sought regular bail. However, the court determined that it was not the appropriate stage to grant him bail.
The dismissal of Kothar's bail application follows a previous order by the court denying bail to Mondal, finding no reason to grant him relief. Mondal, TMC's Birbhum district president and a close associate of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has also moved the High Court challenging the denial of bail.
The investigations into the alleged cattle smuggling racket and money laundering activities continue, with legal proceedings underway against the accused individuals involved in the case.
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