Saradha scam: Rajeev Kumar files anticipatory bail plea in sessions court

Kolkata, September 20

Former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar on Friday filed an anticipatory bail plea in the Alipore district and sessions court, a day after a city court said that the CBI does not need a warrant to arrest him in the Saradha chit fund scam case.

The plea is likely to be taken up for hearing by the Alipore district and sessions court on Saturday, Kumar's lawyer Gopal Haldar said.

The CBI had moved the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) at the Alipore court on Thursday seeking an arrest warrant against Kumar.

The court disposed of CBI's application saying that the agency does not need its arrest warrant as the Supreme Court and the Calcutta High Court had already lifted the bar on his arrest in the Saradha chit fund case.

The ACJM said the CBI may proceed against Kumar, who is currently the additional director general of West Bengal CID, in accordance with the law.

Kumar on Tuesday had failed to get relief from the Barasat district and sessions court on his anticipatory bail application before it in the case.

The sessions judge had disposed of Kumar's plea and said it has no jurisdiction in the matter as the multi-crore chit fund scam case was registered at the Alipore court.

 While the Barasat court is in North 24 Parganas district, the Alipore court is in adjacent South 24 Parganas.

Kumar's lawyers had moved the prayer before the sessions judge after a special court in the district, in charge of trial of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, refused to hear the petition, saying it does not have jurisdiction to hear anticipatory bail pleas.

Meanwhile, the senior police officer failed to turn up at the city's CBI office yet again on Friday, a day after the agency issued a fresh notice, asking him to appear before it in connection with the probe into Saradha chit fund scam, sources said.

The former Kolkata police commissioner is alleged to have suppressed evidence crucial for the investigation into the multi-crore ponzi scam.

This was the third occasion since Saturday that Kumar defied CBI summons to appear before its investigating team at the CGO complex office in Salt Lake.

A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team had been searching for Kumar, who is now the Additional Director General of Police in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), across various locations in Kolkata.

In a letter to the West Bengal Director General of Police (DGP), the agency had on Thursday sought Kumar's phone number on which he could be contacted.

Kumar was part of a special investigation team (SIT) set up by the West Bengal government to investigate the scam before the Supreme Court handed over the case to the CBI in 2014, along with other chit fund cases.

The Saradha group of companies allegedly duped lakhs of people to the tune of Rs 2500 crore, promising higher rates of return on their investments. PTI