NEW DELHI: Troubles seem to be mounting for former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar as the Supreme Court on Monday directed him to file his response to a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea seeking his arrest in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund case.
The investigating agency, in an application, asked the apex court to vacate its earlier order directing that no coercive action be taken against the former Kolkata Police Commissioner. On February 5, the court had stayed the arrest of Kumar in the Saradha and Rose Valley Ponzi scam cases.A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi issued a notice to Kumar on CBI’s plea and sought his response within four weeks.The CBI, in its fresh application, citied alleged instances where Kumar did not cooperate with the investigators in the Ponzi scam cases.
According to the CBI, even after Kumar appeared for questioning before the CBI officials in terms of the Supreme Court order, he remained elusive and evaded all pertinent questions and also did not assist the CBI in making available crucial evidence in the chit fund cases.
CBI said Kumar failed in collecting certain key electronic evidence and also did not proceed with probe against certain influential persons named by Saradha case prime accused Sudipta Sen.The premier investigating agency also sought the apex court’s direction to the West Bengal authorities to cooperate in the investigations and not to interfere in the investigation.
The bench also allowed the CBI to file a fresh affidavit regarding its allegations that telecom operators Vodafone and Airtel were not cooperating with it in the probe.
Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Vodafone, said that it has provided the details including the CDRs (call data records) to the CBI and sought a hearing after three weeks. The bench has now posted this aspect after two weeks.
(With PTI inputs)