Coal smuggling case: Delhi HC exempts Rujira Banerjee from appearing in person before trial court

The Delhi High Court on Monday said that Rujira Banerjee does not need to personally appear before Patiala House court in response to summons against her in connection with an alleged coal smuggling case.

The Delhi High Court on Monday said that Rujira Banerjee does not need to personally appear before Patiala House court in response to summons against her in connection with an alleged coal smuggling case. She was scheduled to appear on October 12 before the trial court.

The Bench of Justice Yogesh Khanna on Monday while adjourning the matter for October 29 has granted permission to appear via a lawyer. The Court's direction came after ED lawyers sought time for arguments in the matter. The Trinamool Congress's General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee's wife Rujira Banerjee recently challenged a Delhi Court order directing her to appear before it physically on October 12, in connection with an alleged coal smuggling case.

On September 30, 2021, Rujira Banerjee had appeared virtually citing personal reasons of travelling to Delhi before the Court. The trial court had directed her to appear before it physically on October 12, 2021. The concerned bench is also examining Abhishek Banerjee's petition challenging several summons to the couple by the ED in the matter.

The petitioner sought the direction of setting aside and quashing the trial court orders dated September 18, 2021 and September 30, 2021 passed by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House District Court, issuing summons to the petitioner for her personal physical appearance in New Delhi. The plea stated that ED complaint against her deserves to be set aside for being false, malicious and vexatious. A perusal of the record would show that the impugned prosecution is a vindictive abuse of the process of law by the Respondent (ED) and hence deserves to be quashed at the threshold.

The Court had issued summons to her on a complaint of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sought issuance of warrant against her for non-appearance before it. Earlier, appearing for ED, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had strongly opposed the petition filed by Abhishek Banerjee and Rujira Banerjee challenging ED summons. Abhishek Banerjee was represented by senior lawyer Kapil Sibal in the matter. (ANI)

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