HC extends interim protection from arrest to ex-top cop Rajeev Kumar

Kolkata, July 22

The Calcutta High Court on Monday extended by one week an interim protection from arrest granted to former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with a CBI notice, asking him to appear before its officers for assisting into a multi-crore chit fund scam probe.

The protection from arrest and coercive action, which was to expire on Monday, was extended by Justice Madhumati Mitra for a week or until further orders.

The court also adjourned till Tuesday hearing on Kumar’s prayer for quashing a notice to him in May by the CBI to appear before it, for assisting the investigation into the Saradha chit fund case.

The former Kolkata top cop’s lawyer had last week alleged before the high court that the CBI was indulging in a pick and choose game by summoning him in the Saradha ponzi scam case among 121 officers of the SIT, which probed the fraud on lakhs of investors.

Kumar is now an additional director general of the West Bengal CID.

He was the commissioner of Bidhananagar Police when the multi-crore Saradha ponzi scam broke out in 2013, and oversaw the day-to-day operations of the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The Supreme Court had on May 9, 2014, ordered transfer of all cases related to ponzi scams, including the one involving the Saradha Group, to the CBI.

A vacation bench of the high court had on May 30 granted Kumar protection from arrest and any coercive action till July 10 in the Saradha chit fund scam case. The protection from arrest was later extended to July 22.

The bench had directed Kumar to cooperate with the CBI investigation into the Rs 2,500 crore scam. PTI