Kolkata: A petition was today filed in the Calcutta High Court seeking removal of Madan Mitra from the post of state Transport Minister as he is in jail in the Saradha chit fund case.
Lawyer Subhrojit Bahaduri filed the PIL claiming that a person who is in jail cannot hold the position of a minister as it is “unconstitutional”.
He cannot also perform his duties as a minister from behind the bars, the petitioner said. Stating that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has not yet removed Mitra from her cabinet, the petitioner prayed for the court's intervention to direct the state government to remove Mitra.
The minister was arrested on December 12 by the CBI and is under judicial custody.
Meanwhile, rejecting his bail plea yet again, a court here Friday extended till Jan 30 the judicial custody of West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra, arrested in connection with the Saradha scam.
Mitra was presented in the court of additional chief judicial magistrate H. Mukherjee on the expiry of his earlier judicial remand.
After hearing both prosecution and the defence, the court extended his custody by 14 days.
Madan Mitra's bail plea was rejected earlier as well after which he was sent to the judicial custody till Jan 16.
