Calcutta High Court on Friday refused to grant Trinamul Congress national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee interim relief from coercive action by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in cases related to alleged irregularities in recruitment at primary schools.

The interim relief till May 15 was denied by Justice Amrita Sinha, who replaced Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay of the high court in the cases related to Abhishek following a Supreme Court directive.

On Friday, two separate applications were moved by Abhishek and his party colleague Kuntal Ghosh (arrested by the CBI in connection with the “scam” in primary teachers' recruitment) before Justice Sinha.

In their first applications, both Abhishek and Ghosh prayed for being added as parties.

In their second pleas, the two sought a stay on the order passed by Justice Gangopadhyay on April 13, directing the CBI and the ED to interrogate them in connection with the “scam”.

Since there was a delay in serving the copies of applications, the pleas could not be taken up for hearing on Friday. Justice Sinha fixed them for the hearing on May 15 and kept it at the “top of the list”.

The counsel appearing for Abhishek asked the judge for a verbal order instructing both the central probe agencies against taking any coercive measure against his client, at least till May 15.

But Justice Sinha said she could not issue such an order until she heard all parties to the case.

Review plea binned

Justice Sinha also dismissed the Bengal government's prayer for the review of an order for a CBI probe into alleged illegalities in the recruitment of employees to various municipalities. The order had been pronounced by Justice Gangopadhyay.