High Court dismisses Indraneil Sen’s pre‑trial bail application in money‑laundering case

A single‑judge bench of the Calcutta High Court rejected former minister Indraneil Sen’s pre‑trial bail plea on Thursday. The Enforcement Directorate is examining Sen for alleged laundering of funds tied to the sale of counterfeit UNESCO‑labelled tour passes during the Durga Puja period, with the scandal originally put at about ₹60 crore.

The case originated from a complaint lodged at Bobazar police station, leading Kolkata police to open an investigation that was later taken over by the ED through an FIR. Searches were conducted at Sen’s residence, at the homes of several relatives and at an event manager’s premises linked to the scheme. Sen has already been questioned two times by ED officials.

Seeking protection from arrest, Sen’s legal team approached Justice Tirttankar Ghosh for anticipatory bail. After hearing both sides, the judge dismissed the application, ensuring the former minister remains subject to the investigative process.

In a related development, the ED alleged that former chief minister Mamata Banerjee received roughly ₹30 lakh from Sen’s company Octave Records, a payment Sen said was a royalty. Additionally, a judicial commission set up to probe alleged tender irregularities in the Information and Cultural Affairs department during the previous Trinamool government has begun a separate inquiry involving Sen, separate from the ED’s money‑laundering probe.