Cattle Smuggling Case: Delhi HC Grants ED Extension to Respond in Sukanya Mondal Bail Plea

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) an extension to submit written responses regarding the bail plea of Sukanya Mondal, who was arrested in a money laundering case linked to cattle smuggling in West Bengal.

Sukanya Mondal is the daughter of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Anubrata Mondal, who is also in judicial custody for the same case.

A single bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma, who previously issued notice to the ED on the bail petition and instructed them to file a status report, allowed the agency one additional week to present its written submissions. During the hearing, Sukanya’s counsel requested bail for her, emphasizing her status as a woman and her over 110 days in custody. The counsel also highlighted that she is not an accused in the scheduled offense.

The high court has scheduled the next hearing for September 11. Additionally, Sukanya has also contested her ED arrest in another petition. The 31-year-old, the daughter of TMC’s Birbhum leader, was arrested by the ED on April 26. She challenged the trial court’s June 1 decision that denied her bail plea.

Her counsel previously argued that the trial court’s refusal to grant bail failed to properly consider facts and relevant legal perspectives. The plea stated that since the ED had completed its investigation and filed a supplementary complaint, Sukanya’s custody was no longer necessary for the case. The plea asserted her innocence and claimed false implication.

The plea also sought parity with co-accused Tania Sanyal, who was granted bail by the trial court. The petitioner’s case was deemed stronger than that of Sanyal, who is the wife of BSF commandant Satish Kumar, a key figure in the case. Sanyal was accused of accepting bribes for cattle smuggling from Enamul Haque, another involved individual, and laundering the money.

The ED prosecutor previously presented incriminating material against Sukanya, having filed a charge sheet against her. The prosecutor argued that the crimes under investigation posed threats to national security and the country’s economy.

Anubrata Mondal, the TMC’s Birbhum district president, was previously arrested by the CBI in connection with the same case on August 11 of the prior year. The ED arrested him on November 17, 2022, for his alleged involvement in a multi-crore cattle smuggling scam, after questioning him at the Asansol jail where he was detained.

The ED initiated the money laundering case following a CBI FIR against Satish Kumar, a then-BSF Commandant, in Kolkata. The CBI FIR implicated Anubrata Mondal, Kumar, other public officials, and private individuals in a multi-crore cattle smuggling operation.