Kolkata, Sep 15 (IANS): The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted interim protection from coercive police action, including arrest, to Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha member Kirti Azad in an extortion case registered against the cricketer-turned-politician.
While granting the relief, a single-judge bench of Justice Kaushik Chanda directed Azad to fully cooperate with the investigation being conducted by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police.
The court also said that, if necessary, the CID could summon Azad for interrogation by serving him a notice at least seven days in advance.
The CID counsel told the court that Azad had been summoned for questioning at the agency’s headquarters at Bhabani Bhaban in South Kolkata on September 22.
According to the allegations, a businessman was called to Azad’s bungalow in Durgapur on May 21 last year. An associate of Azad allegedly demanded Rs 15 lakh from the businessman.
The businessman alleged that he was threatened with closure of his cooking gas business if he failed to pay the amount. He also claimed that the incident was recorded on audio.
An FIR was subsequently registered against Azad and some of his associates. Azad has denied the allegations and described them as part of a conspiracy to malign him.
The TMC MP from Bardhaman Durgapur Lok Sabha constituency claimed that he was not present in Durgapur on the day of the alleged incident. To support his claim, he submitted his flight details before the court.
During the hearing of his anticipatory bail plea, Azad’s counsel questioned the delay in registering the FIR, pointing out that it was lodged around 15 months after the alleged incident.
The counsel also argued that there was no evidence to establish that Azad had received the alleged extortion amount. He submitted that Azad was willing to cooperate with the investigation and that his custody was not required for questioning.
Azad has also approached the High Court seeking quashing of the FIR.
The court’s interim protection will continue subject to Azad’s cooperation with the CID investigation. The agency’s planned questioning on September 22 is part of the ongoing probe into the extortion allegations already in the case.
Azad is among eight Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha members who continue to remain aligned with the party’s former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
