Make ED party in PIL on rise in assets of ministers, others: HC

The petition was filed before the division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj on Monday by Shamim Ahmed, a lawyer.

The PIL claimed that one of the ministers' movable property increased by 4,734 percent. (File Photo)

The Calcutta High Court on Monday issued an order to make the Enforcement Directorate (ED) a party in a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking probe into alleged exponential increase in assets of West Bengal ministers, MLAs and other leaders, most of them from the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

The petition was filed before the division bench of Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj on Monday by Shamim Ahmed, a lawyer.

Submitting a list of 19 leaders along with their immovable and movable assets, Ahmed said their properties rose from 250 to 1,200 percent between 2011 and 2016. He requested that the ED should enquire as how their assets increased so much in just five years even as their wives were not involved in any profession.

The list also has names of former ministers and MLAs.

A PIL was filed in the high court in 2017 regarding the increase in assets of state leaders and ministers. On the basis of that case, lawyer Shamim filed a fresh request in the court.

The PIL claimed that one of the ministers’ movable property increased by 4,734 percent.

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