Bengal Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick arrest | Crores in accounts, faux firms and a maroon diary
West Bengal Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick being taken into custody by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in Kolkata on Oct. 27, 2023.
| Picture Credit score: ANI
The arrest of West Bengal Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 27 over an alleged public distribution system (PDS) rip-off has sparked a political row and raised questions on what the irregularities are.
The ED, in a prosecution grievance filed earlier than a courtroom in Kolkata, mentions money transactions value crores of rupees into the accounts of relations of the arrested Minister, three faux firms and a “maroon color diary” with particulars of monetary transactions with the Minister. “It’s value mentioning that as per the election affidavit of Sh. Jyoti Priya Mallick for WB Meeting Elections, 2016, filed on 04.04.2016, he declared that money in hand for partner was ₹45,000. Nonetheless, inside span of 1 12 months, a complete money of ₹6 crore was deposited in her checking account,” the ED grievance stated.
The doc in search of remand of Mr. Mallick was filed earlier than a particular courtroom coping with circumstances beneath the Prevention of Cash Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
Minister hospitalised
After the courtroom pronounced that the Minister would stay in custody until November 6, Mr. Mallick fell unconscious within the courtroom and needed to be admitted to a hospital. In line with the courtroom, the interval of hospitalisation will likely be excluded from the remand interval.
In search of the custody of Mr. Mallick, the ED stated that he was Minister in-charge of the State’s Meals and Provides Division, West Bengal, when the irregularities occurred and the proceeds of the crime had been obtained. Mr. Mallick, who’s the presently the Forest Minister, held the Meals and Provides portfolio from 2011 to 2021.
Within the paperwork produced earlier than the courtroom, the ED has referred to 3 faux firms – Sharda Arts Personal Restricted, Sharda Movies Personal Restricted and Shree Hanuman Realcom Personal Restricted.
The investigating company stated that on October 26, throughout searches at varied premises of the Minister and his associates, a maroon diary was discovered with date-wise particulars of receipt of money in enormous quantities. “The diary incorporates the identify of Sh. Jyoti Priya Mallick, popularly often called Baluda, and the names of his above-mentioned three firms by means of which money was obtained and laundered,” the ED doc stated.
Mr. Mallick is the second sitting Minister after Partha Chatterjee to be arrested by the ED. To this point 4 MLAs of the ruling get together, together with two Ministers, have been arrested by the Central companies.
New fear
For the West Bengal authorities, which is already battling allegations of corruption in recruitment in colleges and municipal our bodies, the alleged PDS rip-off poses a brand new problem.
A day after the arrest of the Minister, the Trinamool Congress management introduced out protest rallies in numerous components of the State. State’s Meals and Provides Minister Rathin Ghosh held a protest rally in help of the previous Minister.
The primary FIR within the case was lodged in February 2020 on the Kotwali police station in State’s Nadia district. The FIR was registered in opposition to Pradip Kumar Dey for promoting subsidised wheat flour with no legitimate licence. One other FIR was registered on the Dhubulia police station in opposition to Ajgar Mondal for transporting wheat flour meant for PDS. After investigation by the West Bengal Police, subsequent inquiries had been held beneath PMLA 2022 and circumstances had been registered by the ED.
Final week, the ED arrested Kolkata-based businessman Khalibur Rahaman for his alleged position within the PDS rip-off. The ED, within the prosecution grievance, has additionally alleged monetary transaction between Mr. Rahaman and the arrested Minister.
Proper to Meals activist Anuradha Talwar stated there was a suspicion in sure circles that wheat flour and meals grains meant for PDS had been being diverted, typically after fortification. “The opposite points relating to the PDS system in West Bengal is that the State-level Meals Fee is non-functional. Additionally, the State-level monitoring and vigilance committees have dropped the representatives of NGOs from the fee,” Ms. Talwar stated.
