The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to TMC leader Anubrata Mondal’s daughter Sukanya Mondal, who was arrested by the ED for allegedly laundering the proceeds of cross-border India-Bangladesh cattle smuggling — through her firms — to the tune of nearly Rs 12 crore. Anubrata, TMC leader from West Bengal, is also in judicial custody in the alleged money laundering case. Granting her bail on Tuesday, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna took into account that Sukanya does not stand accused in the predicate offence lodged by the CBI and said: “It cannot be overlooked that the allegations against her are essentially in the context of her father, and she — in her commercial ventures — laundered the money received by her father as a bribe.” Justice Krishna granted the relief to Sukanya, who has been in custody since April 26 last year, considering that she is a woman and is entitled to bail under the proviso to Section 45 of the PMLA. Reasoning that the chargesheet was voluminous and that the trial may take long to conclude, the HC ordered for her release upon furnishing a personal bond of Rs 10 lakh, and asked her to not leave India without prior permission of the court or try to influence witnesses or tamper with evidence. The court further noted that Anubrata was also granted bail by the Supreme Court on July 30 this year. While the CBI had registered a preliminary inquiry into the case — alleged cattle smuggling involving payments of illegal gratification of the BSF personnel and Customs officers — in 2018 and then an FIR in 2020, the ED filed a complaint on September 25, 2020. Sukanya was arrested by the ED on April 26 last year.
