Narada case: CBI withdraws plea in Supreme Court following scathing remark

The CBI withdrew the petition following the top court's scathing remark on the country's premier investigating agency.

A vacation bench of the top court comprising Justices Vineet Saran and BR Gavai told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the CBI, that "liberty of a person is the first thing to be seen" and personal liberty cannot be mixed with other issues like a Chief Minister sitting on a dharna or protests against the probe agency, Live Law reported.

Mehta on Tuesday began his argument referring to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's apparent dharna at the CBI office following the arrests of her two cabinet ministers, Firhad Hakim and Subrata Mukherjee, lawmaker Madan Mitra and former Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee.

The Solicitor General said Banerjee's dharna was a "well-designed and orchestrated attempt" to prevent the CBI from discharging its duties.

The probe agency filed the plea in the Supreme Court on Monday morning even though the Calcutta High Court was about to hear a petition on the same case on the same day.

Meanwhile, a five-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court will on Wednesday resume its hearing on the bail plea of the four veteran politicians.

A two-judge Division Bench of the high court last week ordered house arrest of all the four politicians.

While the politicians are seeking interim bail, the CBI wants all four accused to be in jail.

On the day of the arrest on May 17, a special CBI court had granted bail to all four accused but the Calcutta High Court had put a stay on the bail late at night.

News portal Narada News released several sting operation footage, where TMC's leaders, ministers, MPs and MLAs were seen allegedly taking bribes.

Questions are also raised as to why several politicians, who crossed over from the TMC to the country's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), were not arrested by the probe agency.