A special PMLA court raised questions on Thursday regarding the Enforcement Directorate’s (ED) characterization of an alleged theft in the public distribution system as a “scam.” The court asked the ED to substantiate its allegations of corruption and scam related to the ration system.
This came after three accused individuals—Santanu Bhattacharya, Hitesh Chandak, and Subrata Ghosh—were produced in court. The judge inquired about the progress of their custodial interrogation. The ED explained that it had uncovered the scam during its investigation into alleged theft cases within the system. The agency also claimed that, despite numerous FIRs being filed concerning ration theft, the police had not taken any significant action.
The matter was brought to light after the High Court ordered an ED probe into ration system irregularities. As a result, the ED arrested several individuals, including former minister Jyoti Priya Mallick, in connection with the ongoing investigation.