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SC withdraws protection from arrest to ex-Kolkata top cop

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday vacated its order granting protection from arrest to former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund scam case.

The apex court said its February 5 order granting interim protection to Kumar will continue for seven days from Friday to enable him to approach the competent court for legal remedy.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the CBI to act in accordance with law in the case. One of the advocates who appeared for the IPS officer said that as per the apex court order, Kumar cannot be arrested in the next seven days.

"We have withdrawn the protection given to Rajeev Kumar vide order dated February 5," the court said while pronouncing the order.

The judgment was pronounced by Justice Sanjiv Khanna who was part of the bench headed by the CJI and Justice Deepak Gupta.

Pronouncing the operative part of the order, Justice Khanna said, "We are leaving it to the CBI to act in accordance with law." "Our February 5 order will continue for seven days from today to enable Rajeev Kumar to approach the competent court for relief," he said.

At the outset, Justice Khanna, while pronouncing the order, said, "We have expressed our concern as to what has happened in the matter."

The Election Commission on Wednesday ordered the removal of Kumar, who was posted as Additional Director General, CID, in West Bengal for allegedly failing to control incidents of violence in the state and had asked him to report to the Union Home Ministry on Thursday.

Kumar was removed along with West Bengal's Principal Secretary (Home) Atri Bhattacharya after parts of Kolkata witnessed widespread violence during BJP president Amit Shah's massive road show in the city. Kumar was earlier heading the West Bengal Police's special investigation team (SIT) probing the chit fund scam. The apex court had in May 2014 directed the CBI to investigate the case.

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