KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday dismissed a plea filed by the three arrested Jharkhand MLAs that sought a probe by the CBI or an "independent agency" in the alleged cash scam, saying an accused could not choose which agency should investigate an alleged offence.
The HC cited a 2020 judgment by the Supreme Court, in which it was clearly laid down that an accused could not have any say on which agency should probe the charges, or the manner in which a probe should be carried out.
The three Jharkhand Congress MLAs - Irfan Ans-ari, Rajesh Kachhap and Naman Bixal Kongari - were arrested on July 30 with Rs 49 lakh in cash. They later claimed that they were carrying the money to bulk-purchase sarees from Kolkata for a festival back in their home state. Jharkhand's governing JMM-Congress coalition publicly commented that they smelt in this a BJP ploy to destabilise their democratically elected government.
On Thursday, Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya said social media posts and media reports on statements made by political leaders were "not sufficient grounds" to seek a CBI probe.
