Ex-Kol Top Cop Rajeev Kumar to Approach SC For Anticipatory Bail

The ex-Kolkata Police Commissioner has cited a strike of lawyers in West Bengal as a reason for the extension.

File photo of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

(Photo: PTI)

Former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar is expected to approach the Supreme Court for anticipatory bail in the Saradha chit fund case.

Kumar has cited that there’s a lawyer strike in West Bengal, which is stopping him from approaching the Calcutta High Court for the same. He has also said that he is not being granted leave by the Election Commission to travel to Kolkata.

Kumar is seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the scam, as well as any new FIR that might be filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

On 21 May, the Supreme Court had declined a request to set up a special bench to hear Kumar’s plea. He had earlier been asked to approach the Secretary General to set up the three-judge bench. This comes after he approached the apex court seeking an extension of the seven-day period that was granted to him to approach a competent court after his protection from arrest was vacated.

On 17 May, the apex court had granted him protection to approach the competent court for legal remedy.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi asked the CBI to act in accordance with law in the case.

The investigating agency had in April moved the SC, with a plea seeking his arrest in the chit fund case, following which the bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi sought Kumar’s response within four weeks.

The CBI, in its plea, had claimed that Kumar, during his tenure as the Bidhan Nagar Commissioner, had “facilitated the Saradha Group to illegally operate and further collect Rs 805.77 crore during 2012-13, and Rose Valley group to illegally operate and collect Rs 6,865.85 crore during 2012-14.”

The Background

On 3 February, while he was still the Police Commissioner of Kolkata, a team of CBI officers was stopped from entering his residence, when they had gone to question him in connection with the scam cases.

The move had led to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launching a dharna in the heart of the city, protesting against "the attack on constitutional norms."

On 5 February, the apex court had directed Kumar to appear before the central investigative agency in connection with the matter. It had also said that no coercive step should be taken against Kumar.

Acting on the apex court's order, the CBI had questioned Kumar for several days in Shillong, starting from 19 February.