The Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed the Calcutta High Court that it would not utilize 16 files downloaded from a company computer linked to Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee as evidence in any investigations against him. This decision came after Banerjee raised concerns that the ED had downloaded these files during a recent raid on the company, Leaps & Bounds, without proper consent.
Abhishek Banerjee, who serves as the company’s CEO and was previously a director, alleged that an ED officer had downloaded approximately 16 files from the computer. The ED contended that the officer had only used the computer to check details related to his child’s hostel due to anxiety about their well-being.
The central agency, represented by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, assured the court that these 16 files would not be considered as evidence in any criminal proceedings, and the ED would certify this in a letter. The court accepted this assurance and documented it in its order.
The bench instructed Mithilesh Kumar Mishra, an assistant director of the ED, along with an officer from the Cyber Cell of the Kolkata Police, to cooperate with the CFSL authorities. The printouts of the files in question were to be submitted to the court by 4:30 PM on September 6.
Justice Tirthankar Ghosh had previously deferred pronouncing judgment on Banerjee’s plea against the ED probe into the school jobs-for-cash scam after the dispute over the 16 downloaded files was raised.
Senior Advocate Kishore Datta and a team of advocates represented Abhishek Banerjee, while Additional Solicitor General SV Raju and a group of advocates appeared for the ED. This development highlights the ongoing legal battle involving a prominent political figure and allegations of unauthorized data access by law enforcement agencies
