WB Cattle Smuggling Racket: HC Grants Bail To Sukanya Mondal

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday has granted bail to Sukanya Mondal, daughter of Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal, in connection with a money laundering case tied to a cattle smuggling racket in West Bengal. Sukanya had been in custody since April 26, 2023.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna noted that the trial might take a long time to conclude and granted bail under the proviso to Section 45 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), which allows bail for women, minors, or infirm individuals.

While the court acknowledged that Sukanya is an educated businesswoman, it highlighted that the allegations against her mainly stem from her father’s actions. She is accused of laundering bribe money received by her father through her business ventures.

Despite this, the court emphasized that she is not directly involved in the main cattle smuggling case.

Sukanya was ordered to post a bond of ₹10 lakh and a surety of the same amount. She is prohibited from leaving the country without prior court permission and must avoid tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.

Sukanya’s lawyer, senior advocate Vikas Pahwa, argued that she is a 31-year-old single woman with no prior criminal record, and her custody was no longer necessary since the investigation was complete and a charge sheet had been filed. The court noted that she was not an accused in the primary cattle smuggling case and considered her entitled to bail.

The plea referenced a similar bail granted to co-accused Tania Sanyal, the wife of Border Security Force (BSF) commandant Satish Kumar, another key figure in the case. Sukanya’s legal team argued that her case was stronger than Sanyal’s.

The case revolves around a multi-crore rupee cattle smuggling racket. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated the money laundering case following a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) FIR in Kolkata.

The CBI FIR alleged that Anubrata Mondal, Kumar, and others were involved in the racket. Anubrata Mondal was arrested by the CBI in August 2022 and later by the ED in November 2022, but he was granted bail by the Supreme Court in July 2023.

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