A PMLA court here on Wednesday granted bail to former West Bengal minister Jyoti Priya Mallick in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on a personal bond of ₹50 lakh.
Mallick, who held the Food and Supplies portfolio from 2011 to 2021, was arrested on October 27, 2023 by the ED from his residence in Salt Lake here in connection with its investigation into the alleged scam.
Special judge Prasanta Mukhopadhyay of the PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court granted bail to Mallick on a personal bond of ₹50 lakh.
The former minister was also directed to furnish a bail bond of ₹50,000 with two sureties of ₹25,000 each.
Mallick's lawyers prayed for his bail on the ground that he was under a long period of detention and that the trial is not likely to commence soon.
The ED opposed the bail prayer claiming that he was one of the key accused in the case.
Mallick held the Forest portfolio in the West Bengal cabinet when he was arrested.
The PMLA court had granted bail to Bakibur Rahaman and former Bongaon Municipality chairman Shankar Adya, co-accused in the case in August 2024.
The ED has alleged that Mallick had links with Rahaman, who was arrested in October 2023 and Adya who was arrested in January 2024.
The ED had on December 12, 2023, filed a charge sheet before the court against Mallick and Rahaman in the alleged ration distribution scam case.
The charge sheet was filed 46 days after Mallick's arrest.
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