KOLKATA: The Supreme Court of India on Tuesday granted bail to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal in the cattle smuggling case.Mondal, who was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and has been in jail for over two years, was released as the court acknowledged that the investigation would require additional time. He had been sent to Tihar Jail on March 21, 2023.While granting bail, the Supreme Court directed Mondal to cooperate with the investigation and surrender his passport. However, he will remain in custody as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also arrested him in the same case in November 2022.Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Mondal, argued that his client had been incarcerated for nearly two years since his arrest on August 11, 2022, while all other accused were out on bail. Rohatgi highlighted that he lacked access to the English version of the charge sheet, which consists of over one lakh pages, including more than 10,000 pages in Bengali.In response, the bench suggested that Rohatgi manage the translation himself, noting that the case involves 309 witnesses and is unlikely to conclude soon.The Calcutta High Court had previously denied Mondal’s bail plea last year, citing ongoing investigations into his alleged illegal wealth accumulation. The court argued that granting bail could adversely affect the morale of witnesses and the collection of evidence.At that time, Mondal had requested bail, emphasised that he had been in custody for an extended period. He has served as the President of the Birbhum District Trinamool Congress.Opposing Mondal’s bail plea, the CBI accused him of using his political influence to assist cattle smuggler Enamul Haque. The agency alleged that Mondal facilitated the illegal transportation of cattle through the Birbhum and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal to Bangladesh, securing wrongful gains in the process.According to CBI reports, in addition to ₹48.06 crore in assets, the agency has discovered property worth ₹29.5 crore linked to cattle smuggling since December. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate has identified assets totaling ₹77.56 crore obtained through proceeds from cattle smuggling.
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