Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) counsel to lead the proceedings on behalf of the central agency in the multi-crore ration distribution case in West Bengal has been changed.
Deputy Solicitor General of India, Dhiraj Kumar Trivedi, has replaced Phiroze Edulji, earlier appointed as the special public prosecutor in the matter on behalf of the ED.
Trivedi had already started arguing in the matter at a special court in Kolkata from Monday evening only.
Observers feel that the change in the counsel might be an indication of how seriously the Union government and the central agency authorities are viewing the matter of the ration distribution case in West Bengal.
They say that one major reason for this change of counsel might be that the central agency authorities feel that their sleuths have come very close to winding up investigations in multiple money-laundering cases in West Bengal and the recent ration distribution scam is one such prime case.
In such a situation the legal proceedings in the matter will be extremely crucial and hence the decision to give the responsibility of leading the legal proceedings in the matter directly to the Deputy Solicitor General instead of a special public prosecutor, they added.
However, both ED and CBI insiders have acknowledged Edulji’s role and his excellent lines of arguments during different court proceedings on behalf of both the central agencies both at lower courts and Calcutta High Court pertaining to different cases of corruption.
–IANS