The Enforcement Directorate (ED) decided that it won't honour a summon from the Kolkata Police's cybercrime division for questioning in relation to an agency official downloading a file from a computer at an office of a company linked to an accused in the cash for school job case in West Bengal.
An official from the company has filed a complaint at the cyber cell accusing the central agency sleuths of “planting evidences” by downloading 16 unrelated files from the computer in its South Kolkata office while conducting a marathon raid and search operation last week.
On the basis of the complaint, the cyber cell police summoned the ED sleuths for questioning.
However, the probe agency had intimated to the city police that they do not feel the necessity of appearing since they have already given their explanation in the matter.
According to the ED’s explanation, the 16 files were downloaded inadvertently by the officer while searching for a students’ hostel for his daughter who has recently got admitted to an engineering university in the state.
The central agency further clarified that the files were downloaded after the raid had ended and also under CCTV monitoring and in presence of the employees of the company as well as the independent witnesses -- a deputy manager and an assistant manager of the Punjab National Bank.
Meanwhile, ED insiders admit that the file downloading incident has become a cause of embarrassment for the central agency.
On Tuesday, Justice Amrita Sinha expressed anguish over the incident and said the ED official was highly irresponsible.
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