Bengal PDS case: Court permits ED to collect handwriting specimens of former minister

Kolkata, April 21 (IANS) A special court in Kolkata, on Monday, permitted the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to collect the handwriting specimens of the former West Bengal food and supplies minister Jyotipriya Mallick in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution irregularities case in the state.

After being in judicial custody for almost two years following his arrest by ED officials in the ration distribution case, Mallick was recently released on bail. When he was hospitalised once during his judicial custody days, he tried to send a letter to his daughter, which was prevented by central armed police forces (CAPF) personnel who were on duty at the hospital to guard Mallick at that time.

The letter, according to ED, contained certain crucial instructions about the finances of Mallick. Now, ED officials doubt that Mallick might deny that the letter was written by him.

So the central agency officials approached the court for permission to collect the handwriting specimens of the former minister so that they could be matched with the handwriting in that letter. Finally, on Monday, the officials got the permission of the court to collect the handwriting specimens of Mallick.

In 2023, the CAPF personnel prevented the reported attempts by the former minister to send the letter to his daughter. The CAPF personnel seized that letter and handed it over to the ED officials.

At that time, questions were raised on how Mallick, as an under-trial prisoner, managed to access paper and pen to write the letter without the permission of the competent authorities.

An ED insider said that immediately after the incident, the investigating officials interrogated Mallick, and during the questioning, he admitted writing the letter. However, the ED officials suspected that he might deny the same in due course, and hence they had insisted on getting the handwriting specimens of Mallick to match them with the handwriting in the letter.

--IANS

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