NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday vacated its interim protection to former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar from being arrested by CBI in the multi-crore Chit fund scam cases.
CBI has accused Kumar of tampering with chit fund scam evidence to shield powerful politicians.
The court, however, gave Kumar seven days time to take legal recourse from the competent court.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi asked the CBI to act in accordance with the law in the case.
One of the advocates who appeared for Kumar 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"We have withdrawn the protection given to Rajeev Kumar vide order dated February 5," the court said while pronouncing the order.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 form 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 investigating agency had in April moved the apex court with a plea seeking his arrest in the chit fund case.
CBI claimed he was largely evasive during questioning at Shillong.
The face-off between the probe agency and the Kolkata Police started in February when a tussle broke out between the two forces in Kolkata, wherein a team of CBI officials was detained by the Kolkata Police after it arrived at the residence of the then Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar at Loudon Street to question him in connection with the Saradha chit fund case.
(With PTI inputs)