VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Aug 17: The Calcutta High Court granted provisional bail to three MLAs of Jharkhand associated with the Congress party in a cash recovery case. A double bench of the High court granted three months interim bail to MLAs namely Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixel Kongari.
The court directed them not to leave Kolkata and said that they must ensure their presence before the investigative officer of this case every week. The court ordered to release them on furnishing sureties of Rs One Lakh each. The High court also ordered to transfer their case to the MP-MLA court where the trial will be conducted.
These MLAs were arrested on July 30 at Howrah along with Rs 49 Lakh cash. The Bengal police claimed that these MLAs were part of a conspiracy to topple the Hemant Soren led government in Jharkhand. The police further claimed that high profile political persons from Assam were involved in alluring the Congress MLAs to destabilize the government in Jharkhand.
The case was later on handed over to the CID of Bengal police that arrested stockbroker Mahendra Agarwal in connection with alleged horse trading. The CID team had also raided the house of these MLAs in Jharkhand. The Congress alleged the BJP for hatching a conspiracy to destabilize the Hemant Soren government. The Congress further alleged Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma was controlling the entire operation.