Kolkata: After a gap of six years, the Supreme Court is set to resume hearing on the Central Bureau of Investigation’s plea challenging the anticipatory bail granted to West Bengal Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund case.
The matter, listed first on Monday’s cause list, will be taken up by a division bench of Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran. The case was last heard on November 29, 2019, before a three-judge bench of the then Chief Justice along with Justices BR Gavai and Surya Kant, which had issued notice to Kumar. No further progress was made in the proceedings since then.
The CBI had moved the apex court on October 4, 2019, challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order granting anticipatory bail to Kumar. The high court had allowed the bail on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with a direction that he cooperate with the investigation. Kumar, who earlier served as the Kolkata police commissioner, was part of the special investigation team that initially probed the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam before the case was handed over to the CBI in 2014. The agency later alleged that Kumar had tampered with evidence and was not cooperating with investigators—charges he denied.
In February 2019, the Supreme Court had granted him interim protection, which was later withdrawn, allowing him to seek anticipatory bail from the High Court.