Kolkata, Feb 12 (IANS): A Kolkata court on Monday dismissed the plea for anticipatory bail by absconding Trinamool Congress leader and the alleged mastermind behind the January 5 attack on ED and CAPF team Shahjahan Sheikh.

At the same time, Sheikh ducked the ED’s third notice for appearance at the central agency’s Salt Lake office on Monday. Earlier too, he had ignored the previous two notices twice, first on January 29 and February 5.

Instead, his counsel made an appeal for his client's conditional appearance at the ED office provided there is a shield against the arrest after his appearance. However, the plea was vehemently opposed by ED’s counsel, who argued that originally on January 5, the day of the attack, when their sleuths reached his residence at Sandeshkhali for conducting raid and search operations there was no mention of arrest.

"But after what happened there on that day such a plea is meaningless," counsel argued.

Referring to the attack on ED team on January 5, the ED counsel said that after stones were pelted towards their official, the police registered an FIR against those who were attacked.

Thereafter, the judge questioned Sheikh's counsel on why his client was not appearing before the ED office and he replied that Sheikh apprehends arrest since ED had started investigation against him on charges of money laundering and even transferring money abroad through the hawala route.

"The central agency is even describing my client as an influential person having close connections with the minister. ED is opposing the plea for anticipatory bail. That is why my client is apprehending an arrest," counsel said.