KOLKATA: The Kolkata high court on Thursday granted former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar one-month protection from arrest after the top cop moved a petition seeking the quashing of a notice issued against him by the CBI in connection with the Saradha chit fund case.
Kumar’s lawyer first moved the vacation bench of the high court and prayed for leave to file the petition. Justice Pratik Prakash Banerjee granted leave to Kumar’s counsel for filing the petition and the matter was moved to the second-half of the court’s proceedings.
The court, however, granted Kumar the protection mentioning several conditions — he was directed to deposit his passport with the CBI, he will not be allowed to leave Kolkata, even for official purpose, and a CBI officer will visit his residence to verify whether he is in Kolkata.
Kumar, who was reinstated as additional director general of police, West Bengal CID, after the model code of conduct was withdrawn, approached the court after the CBI, which is seeking his custodial interrogation, served him a notice asking him to appear before it for interrogation.