Trinamool leader Anubrata Mondal, out on bail in cattle smuggling scam, reaches Bengal

The TMC leader who was granted bail in June remained in jail as he was also arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the same case in November 2022.

Trinamool Congress leader Anubrata Mondal reached Kolkata airport after  being released on regular bail from Delhi's Tihar jail in a money laundering case related to the West Bengal cattle smuggling scam on Monday.

The Calcutta High Court had rejected Mondal's bail plea in January last year. He had prayed for bail, submitting at that time that he had been in custody for a long time.

Holding that further investigation into the alleged amassing of illegal wealth by Mondal was continuing, the high court had said that releasing him on bail would adversely affect the morale and confidence of the witnesses and seriously impact the collection of evidence.

The high court had observed that he continued to hold a powerful political post and had an overwhelming influence not only in society but also on the state administration.

Opposing Mondal's bail plea, the CBI alleged that as a powerful political personality, the TMC leader had illegally aided and abetted cattle smuggler Enamul Haque and used his influence to ensure a smooth passage of cattle through Birbhum and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal to Bangladesh in exchange for wrongful gains.