If it was 60-70%, we would have understood… Why did the Supreme Court raise questions on ED?

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday, while hearing the bail plea of ​​former Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, raised questions on the ED arrests. The court expressed concern over keeping the accused in custody for a long time without initiating the trial and also raised questions over the low conviction rate of the ED. Chatterjee has been in jail for more than two years in a money laundering case. Justice Ujjwal Bhuyan said that the conviction rate of ED is very low. he/she said, ‘If it was 60-70%, we could understand. But this is very little. he/she further said, ‘What if the accused is not convicted? Waiting for a trial of two and a half to three years is not a small period. Justice Surya Kant asked the ED lawyer, ‘How long can we keep him/her?’ This is the question. This is a case where more than two years have passed. How to strike a balance in such a case?

‘…There is no possibility of trial soon’

Partha Chatterjee is in custody since July 23, 2022. his/her lawyer Mukul Rohatgi said Chatterjee is 73 years old and there is no possibility of an early trial given the 183 witnesses and four supplementary prosecution complaints. ED’s counsel opposed the bail plea and said the agency had strong evidence to convict Chatterjee. The Supreme Court has postponed the next hearing of the case till Monday. The court has sought details of Chatterjee’s arrest by the CBI in the corruption case and the period of his/her police and judicial custody so far.