Chit fund scam: SC to hear CBI's plea against pre-arrest bail to IPS officer Rajeev Kumar

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will later this week hear the CBI's plea challenging the anticipatory bail granted to West Bengal cadre senior IPS officer Rajeev Kumar in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam case.

A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran on Monday took note of the vehement submissions of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the CBI, and posted the matter on October 17 (Friday). The solicitor general submitted that the probe agency's plea be listed along with other pending petitions, including a contempt plea for broader understanding and consideration of the entire case.

The bench posted the CBI’s plea along with other pending cases on Friday.

The senior IPS officer was granted anticipatory bail on October 1, 2019 and has not been called by the CBI for investigation even once during the last six years by the CBI, according to his counsel.

“Why should we keep this matter pending? You have done nothing during all these years,” the CJI said.

The solicitor general said in this case the residence of a senior CBi officer was ‘gheroed by goons” and he had to literally cry for help to ensure the well being of his family members in Kolkata.

Mehta asked that other pleas also be taken up together after Diwali vacations.

In January 2019, the Centre and the West Bengal government were locked in an unprecedented standoff after a CBI team had landed at Kumar's official residence for questioning him but had to retreat as the local police detained its officers.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had come out in Kumar's defence and started a sit-in protest against the Centre's move.

On November 29, 2019, the top court sought Kumar's response on the CBI's appeal challenging the anticipatory bail granted to him in the case. While issuing the notice, the bench said the probe agency will have to convince it on why the former Kolkata police commissioner's custody was needed.

The IPS officer later went on to become the state DGP.

The Saradha group of companies allegedly duped lakhs of people to the tune of Rs 2,500 crore, promising higher rates of return on their investments.

Kumar was part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the West Bengal government for probing the scam before the Supreme Court handed over the case, along with other chit fund cases, to the CBI in 2014.

The Saradha chit fund scam was unearthed in 2013 during Kumar's tenure as the Bidhannagar police commissioner.

The top court was hearing CBI's plea against the October 1, 2019 order of the Calcutta High Court granting anticipatory bail to Kumar, saying it was not an appropriate case for custodial interrogation.

The CBI told the apex court that Kumar was required to be arrested and his custodial interrogation was needed in the case.

The high court said in its order that if Kumar was arrested by the CBI in connection with the case, he would have to be released immediately on bail by an appropriate court on two sureties of Rs 50,000 each.

The high court directed Kumar, who was then the additional director general of the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID), to cooperate with investigating officers.

It also directed him to make himself available before the investigating officers in the case for questioning on a 48-hour prior notice by the CBI.