In recent development of the Narada Sting case, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed an FIR against 12 Trinamool Congress leaders under the Prevention of Corruption Act (POCA).
According to CBI sources, those who were seen accepting cash in the sting video have been named in the FIR.
Notably, all those who have been named hold a strong post in the Trinamool Congress Party. The TMC MPs have been charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act. They have also been pressed with penal charges related to Conspiracy. Those named by the CBI are— Saugata Roy, Suvendu Adhikari, Sultan Ahmed, Aparupa Poddar, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Prasun Banerjee (all Lok Sabha MPs), Subrata Mukherjee, Firhad (Bobby) Hakim, Madan Mitra (ministers), Iqbal Ahmed (MLA), Sovan Chatterjee (MLA and Kolkata mayor) S M H Mirza (IPS officer who claimed to be taking the money on behalf of party Rajya Sabha MP Mukul Roy). These leaders will be questioned soon.
The Narada scam refers to a series of sting videos shot by Naradanews.com over a period of two years, which show several ministers and half a dozen MPs of the TMC allegedly accepting bribes. The sting operation video was released by the portal on March 14, 2016, just ahead of the West Bengal Assembly elections. The case has been registered on the completion of preliminary inquiry (PE) by the CBI.
