The CBI has moved the Supreme Court challenging a Calcutta High Court order allowing house arrest of four leaders, including three from the TMC, in the Narada bribery case.

The high court had on May 21 ordered shifting of two West Bengal ministers, an MLA and a former Calcutta mayor to house arrest from jail.

A division bench differed on the issue of recalling the stay on bail to the four accused. It decided to refer the matter to a larger bench of five judges and the hearing is underway.

While Justice Arijeet Banerjee supported interim bail, the acting chief justice Rajesh Bindal opposed it. The bench made it clear the house arrest was given considering the Covid pandemic.

While pronouncing the order, the bench had turned down CBI’s plea for a stay of the order and added the arrestees can access files and meet officials, only through video conferencing.

The CBI has challenged the order of house arrest and reference of the matter to a larger bench, a law officer said.

West Bengal Transport Minister Firhad Hakim, Panchayat Minister Subrata Mukherjee, TMC MLA Madan Mitra and former Kolkata mayor Sovan Chatterjee were arrested by the CBI last Monday morning in connection with the Narada sting tape case that is being investigated by the agency on a 2017 order of the high court.