VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Jan 13: Jharkhand Congress MLA and accused of the ‘cash for MLAs’ case, Irfan Ansari skipped a summon of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and sought two weeks’ to appear before the agency. However, the agency is likely to give him one week time only. Irfan Ansari was asked to appear before the agency at its Ranchi zonal office at 11 AM today.
The ED had also sent summons to two other MLAs of the Jharkhand Congress namely Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixel Kongari and asked to appear before it on January 13 and January 16 respectively. Both of them are also accused in this case along with Irfan Ansari.
The ED has directed these MLAs to submit their property details as well as their bank accounts and family members.
In the morning Irfan Ansari made the representation before the ED through his advocate and requested for additional time on the health grounds. Irfan Ansari said that since he was not aware of any summon hence, he stayed back in his assembly constituency Jamtara and practically it would not be possible for him to reach Ranchi.
The ED is investigating this case which was originally lodged by the Bengal police on the basis of a zero FIR lodged by Jharkhand Congress MLA Jaimangal Singh alias Anoop Singh. Irfan Ansari and two other party MLAs namely Rajesh Kacchap and Naman Bixel Kongari were arrested at Howrah on July 30 last year along with cash to the tune of Rs. 48 lakh. They were allegedly returning after receiving cash from the BJP as a part of a conspiracy to topple the Hemant Soren government.
Irfan Ansari initially feigned that he did not receive any summon. But the ED insisted that a summon was sent to him to his official e-mail ID. Summons to two other MLAs were also sent through e-mail. After some time, Irfan Ansari confirmed having received the summons through email. He said that he hardly checks email hence he missed the summon.
When contacted, Rajesh Kacchap said that he too was unaware that the summon was sent through e-mail. “When the news about the summons was published I told my family members to ensure to receive the summons if anybody from the ED comes to execute the summons. I had not thought that the summons would be sent via email,” said Rajesh Kacchap.
Asked whether he would also seek a fresh date like his colleague, Rajesh Kacchap denied. “The ED has directed for certain documents and details which I am arranging. We were falsely implicated in this case,” he said.
On December 24 last year, the federal agency had recorded a statement of Jaimangal Singh alias. These three MLAs on July 30 were intercepted and then arrested by the Bengal police along with Rs 48 lakh cash. It was alleged that these MLAs were returning after receiving cash from the BJP and they were part of the BJP’s game plan to topple the Hemant Soren-led JMM-Congress-RJD government.
Jaimangal Singh intervened in this matter a day after the arrest of his colleagues. He filed a zero FIR at the Argora police station in Ranchi and claimed that he was offered Rs 10 crore by these MLAs to join the BJP’s game plan. He also claimed that BJP’s Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma was handling the entire operation.
