Opposition Left and Congress on Saturday night criticized the brief detention of Narada News CEO Mathew Samuel at Delhi airport as a desperate attempt to hush up the Narada sting operation and save the culprits.

"The desperate attempt to detain Mathew Samuel by Kolkata Police is a manifestation to hush up the Narada graft and save the real accused," CPM West Bengal unit Secretary Suryakanta Mishra said.

Echoing Mr Mishra, Leader of Opposition Abdul Mannan too criticised the detention of Samuel on his arrival from US and said it only shows the desperation of the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal to hush up the matter at any cost.

Mr Samuel was on Saturday night released after being briefly detained by immigration authorities at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on his arrival from the US following a lookout notice issued against him by the Kolkata police.

A division bench of Calcutta High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice A Banerjee on Fruday ordered an interim stay into the Narada sting operation probe launched by the Kolkata Police till the next date of hearing on August 19. The lookout notice had been issued before the High Court order.

Affirming they would go by the High Court directive, Kolkata Police said, "We respect the order of the hon'ble high court and will abide by the same."