HC refuses to advance hearing of former top cop's plea

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday refused to advance hearing of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar's prayer for quashing CBI's notice in connection with its probe in the Saradha chit fund scam.

The CBI moved the court of Justice Shivakant Prasad seeking that the hearing, scheduled to be held on July 2, be advanced. Its counsel submitted that early disposal of Kumar's application would help in expediting investigation into the multi-crore scam. Justice Prasad, however, refused to advance hearing in the case and said that it would be held on July 2 as fixed earlier. The HC had on June 12 scheduled the hearing of the petition filed by Kumar, now the state CID Additional Director General, after the CBI lawyer raised the matter before it. A vacation bench of the high court had, on May 30, granted protection from arrest and any coercive action to Kumar till July 10 in the case. The court had granted the police officer a month's protection from June 10, the day of reopening of the court after the summer break.