Calcutta High court on Tuesday directed the ED to question Maneka Gambhir, the sister-in-law of TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, in the alleged coal scam at it regional office here and not to take coercive steps against her till the next date of hearing.

Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya directed the central probe agency to quiz Gambhir at its zonal office in Kolkata in September or whenever she is summoned.

The matter will come up for hearing again after five weeks, the court directed.

Gambhir had challenged the summons by the Enforcement Directorate to appear before it in Delhi in connection with the case and sought direction to the agency to allow her to appear before it in Kolkata, where she claimed she resides.

The court noted that the Supreme Court had earlier allowed TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and his wife Rujira to appear before the agency's officers in Kolkata in connection with the same case.

The ED is pursuing the case under Prevention of Money Laundering Act against Anup Majee, the alleged kingpin of a coal mining and pilferage-linked money laundering case related to Eastern Coalfield Limited's mines in West Bengal's Kunustoria and Kajora areas in and around Asansol.

Assets worth more than Rs 15 crore of two close associates of Majee were attached in July.