The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to three Jharkhand MLAs arrested by West Bengal Police in Howrah district after nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash were seized from a car they were travelling in.

The three Congress MLAs, Irfan Ansari, Rajesh Kachchap and Naman Bixal Kongari were arrested after their car was intercepted on NH 16 at Panchla in Howrah district on July 30 and nearly Rs 49 lakh in cash were seized from the vehicle.

A division bench comprising justices Joymalya Bagchi and Ananya Bandopadhyay granted interim bail to the three MLAs for three months and directed them to not leave the Calcutta municipal area during the period.

The court also directed the three MLAs to appear before the investigating officer in the case once a week and to deposit their passports.

The investigation into the case has been handed over to the state CID by the police authorities.

The MLAs claimed that the money was meant for buying sarees for an Adivasi festival in Jharkhand.