The Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the CBI on a bail plea of Trinamul Congress leader Anubrata Mondal, who was arrested in connection with an alleged cattle smuggling case.

A bench of Justices Aniruddha Bose and Bela M Trivedi issued notice to the agency and sought its reply on the plea.

The Calcutta High Court in January had rejected Mondal's bail plea.

Mondal, who is the Birbhum district president of the ruling TMC in West Bengal, had prayed for bail, submitting that he has been in custody for over 145 days in connection with the case.

The CBI had opposed the prayer, claiming that he may derail the investigation into the cattle smuggling case by trying to influence witnesses being probed by it.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) claimed that Mondal, using his political clout, was the main facilitator for smooth transportation of cattle through Birbhum district for smuggling them to Bangladesh.

Mondal's counsel stated that no such evidence has been found.

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