The Supreme Court has directed Birbhum stone trader Tulu Mondal to return to India by November 17 while protecting him from coercive police action until December 7 in a case involving alleged revenue evasion and forged receipts.
The order was issued by a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Shil Nagur after hearing arguments from Mondal’s lawyer and the state. Mondal, a retired land official who later became a stone trader, is named as the principal accused in a case investigated by the police and chargesheeted before a court in Suri.
According to the report, the case concerns alleged revenue manipulation and the creation of false receipts, also described as duplicate carbon receipts or DCRs. Police have alleged that Mondal went into hiding after the accusations became public. Investigators have estimated that he is currently in Dubai.
The court’s direction gives Mondal a limited period to return while restricting the police from taking coercive action against him until December 7. The protection does not halt the investigation. The state told the Supreme Court that the investigation would continue as before if Mondal returned to India.
During the hearing, Mondal’s lawyer, Mukul Rohatgi, said his client would return only if he received protection from arrest. Rohatgi argued that the police action against Mondal was politically motivated and said his client was conducting legal business in Dubai. He also argued that Mondal was not a figure comparable to international fugitive Dawood Ibrahim.
The state’s position was presented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. He assured the court that Mondal would not be arrested for three weeks after returning to India. At the same time, the state asked the court to impose conditions to ensure that Mondal could not influence witnesses or eyewitnesses, or destroy evidence connected to the case.
The Supreme Court’s order therefore creates two parallel requirements: Mondal must return within the deadline, while the police must continue investigating without arresting him during the protection period. The court’s concern over witnesses and evidence also places conditions on how the safeguard can operate once he is back in the country.
The case has an urban and construction-sector dimension because Mondal’s stone business was reportedly associated with contracts for major government projects during the Trinamool Congress administration. The allegations relate to the handling of public revenue and receipt records, while the underlying business supplied a material used in construction and infrastructure works. The supplied report does not provide details of the contracts, the amount allegedly involved, or the specific projects connected to the case.
The police have already filed a chargesheet before the Suri court, naming Mondal as the main accused. The Supreme Court’s current order does not determine his guilt or innocence. It sets a return deadline and temporary limits on police action while allowing the investigation to proceed. Mondal is required to return to India by November 17, and the protection from coercive action is scheduled to remain in force until December 7.
