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Reference : NDTV

The Supreme Court on Thursday instructed the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that they can go to Kolkata and undertake the investigation into a money-laundering case involving TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira Banerjee, which is tied to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal.

Because the ED mentioned how CBI officials were previously 'gheraoed' (surrounded) in Kolkata and claimed that Abhishek Banerjee is politically "influential," the top court observed that it could say the Kolkata Police should extend all cooperation and the state would be bound by that if the agency made a 72-hour advance requisition.

Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira Banerjee had filed an appeal against a Delhi High Court ruling dismissing their petition seeking quashing of summons issued to them in the money-laundering probe relating to an alleged coal scam in West Bengal.

The petitioners' senior lawyer, Kapil Sibal, said they are not obstructing the investigation and that the ED can come to Kolkata and perform the investigation.

"Suppose we say whatever documents, whatever records you require, every page shall be made available, and you can come down to Kolkata," the bench, which also included Justices S R Bhat and Sudhanshu Dhulia, informed the ED's Additional Solicitor General (ASG) S V Raju.

"Mylords are well aware... "I shouldn't say, but there have been cases where CBI officials have been 'gheraoed,'" Mr Raju said.

Last May 17, a high-octane political drama unfolded in Kolkata, with TMC supporters holding demonstrations in numerous locations and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offering to court arrest in protest over the CBI's detention of two West Bengal ministers in the Narada case.

Outside Nizam Palace, where the CBI office is located, TMC supporters chanted anti-BJP slogans and threw stones and bricks at security officials in protest of the arrests.