News Analysis India

Tag: Rujira Banerjee

  • Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira stopped from boarding flight to UAE

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Rujira Banerjee, wife of senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, was allegedly stopped from boarding a UAE-bound flight citing a “lookout” notice by the Enforcement Directorate that asked her to appear before them on June 8, her lawyer said.

    Sources said Rujira reached Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport with her two children around 7 am to board the flight.

    “She was stopped at the immigration, citing a lookout notice issued by the ED in a case. A Supreme Court order says there is no bar on her foreign visits,” one of her lawyers told PTI.

    The lawyer said she had informed the ED on Saturday about her travel plans and gave a copy of her tickets to the agency.

    “Now she has been stopped. She was also handed over a copy of a summons dated June 5 asking her to appear before the ED office in Kolkata on June 8. She has now returned home,” he said.

    Repeated attempts to get a version from the airport and ED authorities elicited no response.

    A press statement issued by her office also claimed there is a Supreme Court order which says there are no foreign travel restrictions on the couple.

    “Rujira Banerjee had visited USA from October 5 to October 18 and there was no objection from the ED then. Rujira had not been stopped from travelling abroad during the ongoing investigation by the ED. She has not been called for interrogation except once in June last year, which she duly complied with,” the statement said.

    Last year, the ED had questioned her in connection with a coal pilferage scam.

    The CBI had also questioned her in 2021 in the same case.

    KOLKATA: Rujira Banerjee, wife of senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, was allegedly stopped from boarding a UAE-bound flight citing a “lookout” notice by the Enforcement Directorate that asked her to appear before them on June 8, her lawyer said.

    Sources said Rujira reached Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport with her two children around 7 am to board the flight.

    “She was stopped at the immigration, citing a lookout notice issued by the ED in a case. A Supreme Court order says there is no bar on her foreign visits,” one of her lawyers told PTI.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    The lawyer said she had informed the ED on Saturday about her travel plans and gave a copy of her tickets to the agency.

    “Now she has been stopped. She was also handed over a copy of a summons dated June 5 asking her to appear before the ED office in Kolkata on June 8. She has now returned home,” he said.

    Repeated attempts to get a version from the airport and ED authorities elicited no response.

    A press statement issued by her office also claimed there is a Supreme Court order which says there are no foreign travel restrictions on the couple.

    “Rujira Banerjee had visited USA from October 5 to October 18 and there was no objection from the ED then. Rujira had not been stopped from travelling abroad during the ongoing investigation by the ED. She has not been called for interrogation except once in June last year, which she duly complied with,” the statement said.

    Last year, the ED had questioned her in connection with a coal pilferage scam.

    The CBI had also questioned her in 2021 in the same case.

  • TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira moves Delhi HC against ED complaint in coal scam case

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Rujira Banerjee, wife of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, has approached the Delhi High Court challenging the Enforcement Directorate’s complaint against her before a trial court here in a money laundering case linked to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal.

    Rujira has also challenged the trial court order taking cognizance of the complaint and the subsequent issuance of summons for physical appearance in the case.

    The matter, which was listed before Justice Yogesh Khanna on Wednesday but could not be taken up for hearing on account of the non-availability of the judge, will be heard on October 8.

    Rujira has contended in her petition that the ED’s complaint against her is arbitrary, false, vexatious and an abuse of the process of law.

    The complaint has been filed to harass and cause prejudice to Rujira and her family, the petition claims.

    “A bare perusal of the Impugned Complaint confirms that the Respondent Agency (ED) falsely averred that Petitioner had not complied with its illegal summonses (issued by ED).

    “Owing to the fact that she is a mother of two young children and a resident of Kolkata, the Petitioner has repeatedly requested that she be examined at her residence in Kolkata.

    The fact that the Petitioner was in constant dialogue with the Respondent in relation to the aforementioned summons clearly shows that there was no intention on the part of the Petitioner to disobey the same,” says the petition.

    It further argues that the trial court took cognizance and issued summons on the complaint in a mechanical manner and without application of mind.

    The CMM “failed to appreciate that not only were the notices in question illegal and in excess of jurisdiction, but furthermore the mode of service i.e, email to a third party, of summons dated 18.08.2021 at the first instance is contrary to law and cannot be held against the Petitioner”, states the plea.

    On September 30, after Rujira appeared virtually in relation to the complaint filed by the ED, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Pankaj Sharma directed her physical presence on October 12, while granting her exemption from the personal appearance for the day.

    The couple has already approached the high court for quashing of summons issued to them by the ED for questioning in the case.

    On September 21, the court had refused to grant any interim relief in relation to the summons.

    The 33-year-old MP, who is the nephew of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee, represents the Diamond Harbour seat in Lok Sabha and is the national general secretary of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

    The ED lodged a case under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on the basis of a November 2020 FIR registered by the CBI that alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage scam related to Eastern Coalfields Ltd mines in the state’s Kunustoria and Kajora areas in and around Asansol.

    Local coal operative Anup Majhi alias Lala is alleged to be the prime suspect in the case.

    The ED had earlier claimed that Abhishek Banerjee was a beneficiary of funds obtained from this illegal trade.

    He has denied all charges.

  • Coal scam: TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira refuses to appear before ED

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: Citing Covid pandemic, TMC leader and CM Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira Naroola Banerjee refused to appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s New Delhi office on Wednesday in connecting with a coal smuggling and money laundering case.

    In a letter written to ED’s assistant director Sumat Prakash Jain, Rujira said, “I am a mother of two infants, and travelling to New Delhi physically in the midst of the pandemic will put my and the lives of my children at grave risk.”

    ED served the summon asking Rujira to turn up at the agency’s Delhi office on September 1. In connection with the same case, Abhishek was asked to appear in its Delhi office on September 3. Two other IPS officers, Gyanwant Singh (additional director general, CID) and Shyam Singh (deputy inspector general of police, Midnapore range) were also been asked to report to the agency’s office on September 9 and September 8 respectively.

    Assuring cooperation, Rujira requested the central agency to follow the probe procedure at her Kolkata residence as the ED has its office in the state capital. “It would be convenient to me if you consider asking me to appear before you in Kolkata as and I reside in that city. Besides, as per my understanding, the alleged cause of action of the subject matter of your inquiry too arises out of Bengal,” she wrote.

    The day the central agency served the summon, West Benegal CM had lambasted the BJP-led Centre accusing it to utilise the central agency vindictively. “They failed to fight with the TMC politically and now using CBI and ED against Abhishek. If I want, I can send bagful of evidence showing how BJP leaders looted Bengal’s coal region,” she had said while addressing on the occasion of the foundation day of TMC’s student-wing virtually on August 28.

    The CBI, in February, had questioned Rujira in connection with the coal scam case at her south Kolkata residence. Abhishek’s sister-in-law Maneka Gambhir had also been questioned by the CBI.

  • Coal smuggling case: Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira not to appear before ED today

    By ANI

    KOLKATA: As the investigation in the West Bengal coal smuggling case continues, Rujira Banerjee, wife of Trinamool Congress National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee informed that she will not be appearing before Enforcement Directorate on Wednesday.

    She was asked to appear before the agency in Delhi, in connection with coal smuggling case.

    In an official communication to ED, TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s wife Rujira said that it is not safe for her and her two infants to travel to Delhi alone in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and requested the ED to “consider asking her to appear in Kolkata at my residence”.

    On August 28, Enforcement Directorate informed that it summoned All India Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee on September 3 in connection with the coal mining scam.

    The wife of Abhishek Banerjee, Rujira Banerjee was also summoned by ED on September 1 along with others with their bank details.

    Earlier that day, while addressing TMC Chhatra Parishad foundation day at Kalighat, Abhishek Banerjee slammed the NDA government at the Centre by saying, “BJP thinks it can put pressure on us by using ED against us but we will emerge stronger.”

    “The way TMC workers are working makes BJP scared. We assured to Tripura people that we will fight with you all. TMC will continue to fight against BJP in every state where they is no democracy. TMC will fight till the end against BJP,” he had said.