NEW DELHI: Trouble has mounted for Kolkata’s former police commissioner Rajeev Kumar with the Supreme Court on Tuesday observing that the CBI’s findings from his recent interrogation were serious. It also allowed the CBI to file its application against Kumar within 10 days.
A bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi after pursuing the sealed-cover status report by the investigating agency said, “There are some things in it which are very serious and we can’t close our eyes to it.”
The court said the status report would now have to be filed with the application. Once the application is filed by the probe agency, the Kolkata police will file its reply within seven days.
CJI Gogoi added that since the findings were serious, no order would be passed before the opposite party (Kolkata police) has been given an opportunity to state its side of the story. The court also asked Kumar and others to respond to the CBI’s application in seven days.
The development comes a month after the Supreme Court asked the CBI to file an affidavit giving details about the alleged contempt committed by Bengal police and Kumar.
The CBI said there were discrepancies in the interrogation details and those submitted by the Kolkata police, and alleged the material submitted by the Kolkata police had been tampered with.
The probe agency alleged that while the CD shared by the Kolkata police was empty, police officials had
not been very cooperative.
The bench also refused to discharge the Bengal chief secretary and the DGP and drop contempt proceedings filed against them by the CBI for wilful disobedience of the SC’s orders in the Saradha probe.
The face-off between the CBI and the Kolkata Police started in February when a team of CBI officials arrived at the residence of Kumar in connection with the Saradha chit fund case.
They were detained by the local police, allegedly using brutal force.