Calcutta HC judge recuses from further hearing in Tulu Mondal case

Kolkata: Justice Saugata Bhattacharya, on Friday, recused from further hearing the case related to absconding stone-quarry owner Tulu Mondal alias Mohammad Nazibuddin, from West Bengal's Birbhum district.

Mondal's plea seeks interim protection from coercive police action, including arrest under a warrant issued earlier by a district court.

The matter will now be referred to the office of the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Ravindra Vithalrao Ghuge, who will decide which new bench the case will be allotted to.

Earlier this week, Justice Bhattacharya dismissed a petition filed by Tulu Mondal seeking interim protection from coercive police action, including arrest.

In the meantime, Mondal had submitted a parallel petition at another single-judge bench of Justice Kaushik Chanda seeking quashing of the FIR registered against him. However, Justice Chanda refused to hear the matter, citing that a case in the same matter was being heard at Justice Bhattacharya’s bench.

Thereafter, the matter was referred back to the bench of Justice Bhattacharya. As the matter came up for hearing before Justice Bhattacharya’s bench on Friday, the judge recused from hearing the matter further since he had already given his final order dismissing the petition filed by Mondal seeking interim protection.

The police have already confiscated assets worth Rs 220 crore belonging to Mondal. However, investigating officers believe this may represent only a fraction of his total assets.

The police have claimed that, apart from cash and gold worth Rs 220 crore, investigators have gathered information about nearly 400 bighas, or roughly 125 acres, of land allegedly owned directly or indirectly by Mondal.

Investigators have also gathered specific information about the alleged use of fake duplicate carbon copies by stone quarry owners to evade crores of rupees in state taxes during the previous Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government.

Some state government officials, who allegedly acted as partners in the tax-evasion process, are also under the scanner of investigating officers, sources said.

Apart from the arrest warrant issued earlier by the Birbhum district court, an Interpol Red Corner Notice has also been issued against Mondal.

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