CBI court rejects TMC leader's bail plea, extends custody till Aug 24

Describing Mondal as a very powerful and highly influential person, the Central Bureau of Investigation CBI appealed for an extension of the TMC leaders custody stating that he could influence witnesses and tamper evidence if granted bail. The CBI lawyer said that Mondal has been non-cooperative from the very beginning despite being issued summonses 10 times.

A special CBI court here on Saturday rejected Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal's bail plea in the alleged cattle smuggling scam and extended his custody with the central agency for four days till August 24. Describing Mondal as a ''very powerful and highly influential person'', the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) appealed for an extension of the TMC leader's custody stating that he could ''influence witnesses and tamper evidence if granted bail''. The CBI lawyer said that Mondal has been ''non-cooperative from the very beginning" despite being issued summonses 10 times. The counsel also claimed that Mondal had pressurised a doctor to prescribe ''complete rest''.

Mondal was arrested on August 11 by the CBI in connection with its investigation into the alleged cattle smuggling scam.