Calcutta HC refuses Tulu Mondal's plea against Birbhum warrant
Synopsis
The Calcutta High Court refused to bail out absconding Birbhum quarry owner Tulu Mondal, who faces a Friday morning deadline to appear before a district court or be declared a proclaimed offender. With ₹28 crore in cash and ₹22 crore in gold already seized from a relative's home — and the ED now circling — his window to avoid a full-blown fugitive tag is closing fast.
Key Takeaways
Calcutta High Court on 13 August 2025 declined to hear Tulu Mondal's petition challenging a Birbhum district court's Hulia (fugitive warrant).
Mondal must physically appear before the Birbhum district court by 10 a.m. on 14 August or be declared a 'proclaimed offender' .
Authorities recovered ₹28 crore in cash and 15 kg of gold (worth ~ ₹22 crore ) from the home of his relative, Minar Mondal , who reportedly admitted the assets belonged to Tulu.
A red-corner notice has already been issued against Mondal; the Enforcement Directorate has begun preparatory steps for a formal probe.
Mondal rose to prominence as a close associate of jailed Trinamool leader Anubrata Mondal and was previously raided by the ED in the 2022 cattle smuggling case.
A single-judge bench of the Calcutta High Court on Thursday, 13 August 2025, declined to entertain a petition filed by absconding Birbhum stone quarry owner Tulu Mondal, also known as Mohammad Nazibuddin, challenging a 'Hulia' — a court-issued fugitive warrant — served against him by a Birbhum district court. Mondal, who has been evading authorities, now faces a stark choice: appear before the district court by 10 a.m. on 14 August or be declared a 'proclaimed offender'.
What Happened in Court
Justice Kaushik Chanda, before whom Mondal's counsel hurriedly moved the fresh petition, refused to hear the matter on the grounds that Mondal had already filed a separate plea before another single-judge bench of Justice Sougata Bhattacharya, seeking interim protection from coercive police action — including arrest — in the same case. Accordingly, the challenge to the district court's warrant was referred to Justice Bhattacharya's bench.
The petition had been filed hours after Birbhum District Police pasted two copies of the Hulia — one in English and one in Bengali — on the wall of Mondal's residence on Thursday morning, a procedural step that signals the state's escalating effort to compel his appearance.
The ₹50 Crore Recovery That Triggered the Hunt
Mondal came under the scanner of both the Birbhum District Police and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after cash worth ₹28 crore and 15 kilograms of gold — with an estimated market value of approximately ₹22 crore — were recovered earlier this month from the residence of his close relative, Minar Mondal. During interrogation, Minar reportedly admitted that the seized assets belonged to Tulu and that he had merely been entrusted with safekeeping them.
Following Tulu's disappearance, authorities obtained the Hulia from a Birbhum district court last week and subsequently issued a red-corner notice against him — a significant escalation that signals cross-jurisdictional coordination in the search.
Rise from Daily Wage Worker to Political Insider
Tulu Mondal's trajectory is a study in political patronage. He reportedly began life as a daily wage earner before witnessing a meteoric rise in fortune during the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal, as a close associate of Anubrata Mondal, the erstwhile district president of Trinamool in Birbhum.
Anubrata Mondal himself spent months behind bars after being arrested by both the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED in connection with the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal. He is currently aligned with the 'rebel but majority' faction within Trinamool, led by Ritabrata Banerjee.
ED Probe and Earlier Scrutiny
The ED has begun preparatory steps to formally launch a probe against Tulu Mondal, with central agency officials currently collecting information from the Birbhum District Police. This is not Mondal's first brush with the ED — his name surfaced in the cattle smuggling case in 2022, at which point investigators raided both his residence and office.
With the Calcutta High Court declining to provide immediate relief and the district court deadline looming at dawn on Friday, Mondal's legal options have narrowed sharply. Whether he surfaces voluntarily or is declared a proclaimed offender will set the tone for the next phase of investigations by both state police and the ED.
Point of View
But politically it strips Mondal of the delay tactics that have kept many similarly placed figures out of custody in West Bengal. The real story is the asset profile: ₹50 crore-plus in cash and gold held by a proxy is not the footprint of a quarry business — it is the footprint of a political economy. With the ED now entering the picture alongside state police, this case could become a fresh pressure point on Trinamool at a time when the party is already managing internal fractures around the Anubrata Mondal fallout.
NationPress
13 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the Calcutta High Court refuse to hear Tulu Mondal's petition?
Justice Kaushik Chanda declined to hear the petition because Mondal had already filed a separate plea before Justice Sougata Bhattacharya's bench seeking protection from arrest in the same case. The fresh petition was referred to Justice Bhattacharya to avoid conflicting orders from two benches.
What is a 'Hulia' and what does it mean for Tulu Mondal?
A Hulia is a court-issued notice or warrant that contains a physical description of a fugitive suspect and compels them to appear before the issuing court. For Mondal, it means he must present himself at the Birbhum district court by 10 a.m. on 14 August or risk being declared a 'proclaimed offender' — a status that significantly expands police powers to detain him.
What assets were recovered and from whom?
Cash worth ₹28 crore and 15 kilograms of gold valued at approximately ₹22 crore were recovered from the residence of Minar Mondal, a close relative of Tulu Mondal. Minar reportedly told investigators during interrogation that the assets belonged to Tulu and that he was only holding them on his behalf.
Who is Tulu Mondal and what is his political background?
Tulu Mondal, also known as Mohammad Nazibuddin, is a stone quarry owner from Birbhum district in West Bengal who reportedly started life as a daily wage earner. He rose to prominence as a close associate of Anubrata Mondal, the former Trinamool Congress district president in Birbhum, who is himself facing prosecution in the cattle smuggling scam.
Is the Enforcement Directorate also investigating Tulu Mondal?
Yes. The ED has begun preparatory steps to formally launch a money laundering probe against Mondal and is currently gathering information from the Birbhum District Police. Mondal was previously on the ED's radar in 2022, when investigators raided his home and office in connection with the cattle smuggling case.
