Narada scam: Calcutta High Court grants interim bail to four former TMC ministers

Calcutta High Court has granted interim bail to four former TMC ministers - Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Sovan Chatterjee, and Madan Mitra on bail bond of Rs 2 lakh each in connection with Narada tapes. The court has asked them to not give interviews to news channels related to the CBI-Narada case.

The Trinamool Congress leaders and ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, party MLA Madan Mitra and former mayor Sovan Chatterjee, who is an ex-TMC leader, were under house arrest as per the High Court's order.

A five-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday granted interim bail to four Trinamool Congress leaders who have been under judicial custody since their arrest by the CBI in the Narada case on May 17. They were placed under house arrest on May 19. This was done following a split in the division bench on the question of interim bail, and the matter was referred to the larger bench.

A condition has been imposed by the bench that the four leaders will not make press statements or make media discussions on the pending trial in the Narada case. The bench also clarified that the interim bail will be subject to the final order in the case and that the same will stand cancelled if the CBI succeeds in its petition.

The accused will join the investigation by video conferencing. They will not give press interviews on pending trial on the Narada case, the High Court bench said. The CBI had on Tuesday moved a special leave petition (SLP) in connection with the High Court's order of May 21, that modified its earlier order of judicial remand to the house arrest of the four, but later withdrew it.