The special court of the CBI on Wednesday extended the judicial custody of Trinamul Congress leader Anubrata Mondal by another fortnight.

The CBI had arrested the Birbhum district president of Trinamul in the cattle-smuggling case. He will be again produced in the court on September 21.

Mondal was produced in the CBI court in Asansol on Wednesday after his 14 days’ judicial custody ended.

His lawyer Anirban Guha Thakurta moved the bail plea citing his client’s “ill health” and claimed the CBI did not get any direct link to establish Mondal’s role in the cattle-smuggling case. The counsel also claimed that the CBI investigation was “politically motivated” to malign him.

However, CBI counsel Kalicharan Mishra told the court that the CBI found important links that showed Mondal’s role in the larger conspiracy of the cattle-smuggling case. He also claimed Mondal was an influential person and could tamper with evidence and intimidate witnesses.

The judge, Rajesh Chakraborty, after hearing both the counsels, sent Mondal to judicial custody for another fortnight.

While reacting to a question on his health by reporters, Mondal said: “I am not well.”

He, however, refused to comment on the CBI raid on law minister Moloy Ghatak’s residences in Asansol and Calcutta.

CBI sources said Mondal was slowly beginning to cooperate with investigating officers during interrogation.

On Tuesday afternoon, the CBI sleuths interrogated Mondal at the correctional home in Asansol.

The sources added that he was asked 30 questions. Unlike during earlier interrogations, Mondal answered a few of them.

The CBI also interrogated Mondal’s former bodyguard Saigal Hossain, who is also in judicial custody at the same correctional home.