Bengal transport minister's judicial custody extended

West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra's bail petition was today rejected by a city court in the Saradha scam case and his judicial custody extended till January 16.
Monikuntala Roy, judicial magistrate in an Alipore court, rejected the bail plea filed by Mitra's counsel pleading that he would not tamper with any evidence and would comply with any condition imposed by the court.
Mitra's counsel Ashok Mukherjee also submitted that there was no evidence against him regarding his alleged involvement in the multi-crore Saradha scam and claimed it was out of political vendetta that he had been kept behind bars.

CBI counsel Partha Sarathi Dutta opposed the bail prayer, claiming that huge funds were transferred to him by the Saradha Group and that he had played an active part in connivance with the group's chairman Sudipta Sen in the scam.
Mitra, who was allowed by the court to make his submission, said he would accept even a punishment of hanging if it was proved that even a single rupee was transferred to his account from the Saradha Group.