This Article is From Jan 21, 2015

Kapil Sibal's Client is Bengal Government. And Congress isn't Pleased

Kapil Sibal's Client is Bengal Government. And Congress isn't Pleased
New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal has upset his party by representing Bengal's Mamata Banerjee government in the Supreme Court in the Saradha Chit Fund case.

"A lawyer can take anyone's brief but a senior Congress leader must take note of the sentiments of the state unit," Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said today.

Furious Bengal Congress leaders had lashed out at Mr Sibal on Monday after he appeared for a Supreme Court hearing on the scam in which lakhs of people were cheated out of their savings in Bengal and Odisha.

"It's a bad thing. It is regrettable to have to explain Kapil Sibal's action. He is an overrated professional and underrated political element," Adhir Chowdhury, a Congress MP and the party's Bengal chief told NDTV.

Mr Sibal, who is a senior lawyer and former union law minister, filed a petition on behalf of the Bengal government, which asked the court to monitor the CBI investigation, alleging leaks that were affecting its image.

The petition said information on the CBI's investigation in the Saradha case was being accessed by other political parties even before the accused.

Sources close to Mr Sibal defended him, saying that "all he did was to ask for a court-monitored probe and prove that the BJP is using the CBI."

A state minister and two Trinamool MPs have been arrested in the case and are currently in jail. The party's senior leader Mukul Roy has also been called for questioning.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that the CBI is working on the orders of the BJP-led government at the Centre.
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