The Supreme Court has kept in abeyance the non-bailable warrant and proclamation issued against Mohd. Nazibuddin Mondal, also known as Tulu Mondal, in a Bengal illegal mining case, subject to his return to India from Dubai by November 17.
A bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Sheel Nagu said that if Mondal returns by the date assured by his senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, Bengal police will not take coercive action against him for three weeks after his return. The court passed the order while disposing of Mondal’s appeal against a September 22 Calcutta High Court judgment.
The High Court had upheld orders issued by the Suri additional chief judicial magistrate in Birbhum. Those orders included a non-bailable warrant and, subsequently, a proclamation intended to secure Mondal’s presence in the case.
The Supreme Court proceedings followed arguments presented on Mondal’s behalf by Rohatgi and senior counsels Kishore Datta and Siddhartha Dave. They told the court that Mondal was willing to return to India and cooperate with investigators. His lawyers also argued that he was the victim of a political witch-hunt.
The Bengal government opposed relief for Mondal. Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta and Additional Solicitor-General S.V. Raju told the court that Mondal had left the country with his family in May and settled in Dubai. The state also alleged that he was involved in criminal transactions worth ₹52 crore.
The government had said that if Mondal received relief, conditions would be necessary to prevent him from intimidating or influencing witnesses. Mehta nevertheless assured the court that no coercive action would be taken for three weeks if Mondal returned to India, while making clear that the investigation would continue.
Mondal has been described in the report as an alleged illegal mining kingpin wanted by the Bengal government. The court’s order does not end the investigation or determine the allegations against him. It instead creates a limited window for his return, during which the police must not take coercive action under the stated condition.
The immediate next step is Mondal’s return to India by November 17. If he returns within the deadline, the three-week period of protection from coercive action will apply while the probe continues.
