The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday granted interim protection from arrest to Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad in a case involving allegations of extortion and threats. Justice Kaushik Chanda directed that no coercive action be taken against the Bardhaman-Durgapur MP at this stage, while asking him to co-operate with the investigation.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the West Bengal Police is probing the allegations and has already summoned Azad. The court directed him to appear before the agency on September 22. The CID can summon him for further questioning by giving him seven days’ notice, the court said.
The case stems from a complaint by a businessman who alleged that he was called to Azad’s Durgapur bungalow on May 21 last year. According to the complaint, one of Azad’s associates allegedly demanded ₹15 lakh and threatened to shut down his cooking gas business if he did not pay. The businessman has claimed that he possesses an audio recording of the alleged conversation. A case was subsequently registered against Kirti Azad and several of his associates.
Kirti Azad has denied the allegations, calling them a “political conspiracy”. He has maintained that he was not in Durgapur on the day of the alleged incident and submitted his flight records to the court in support of his claim.
In his anticipatory bail plea, Kirti Azad’s lawyers questioned the delay in filing the FIR, which came around 15 months after the alleged incident. They also argued that there was no evidence that the alleged ₹15 lakh was ever paid. Azad has said he is willing to co-operate with the investigation and argued that custodial interrogation is unnecessary. The former India cricketer has also filed a separate petition seeking quashing of the FIR.
