Kolkata: Former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar failed to get relief Tuesday from the Barasat District and Sessions Court on his anticipatory bail plea in the Saradha chit fund case.
Barasat Sessions judge S Rashidi said it has no jurisdiction in the matter as the multi-crore chit fund scam case was registered at Alipore district court. While the Barasat court is in North 24 Parganas district, the Alipore court is in adjacent South 24 Parganas district.
Rajeev Kumar had moved the Barasat court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with a CBI notice served on him to appear before it for assisting it in the case.
Earlier sources said that the CBI has set up a special team to trace former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, who is alleged to have ‘evaded’ agency’s notices to appear before it in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam case, sources said, Tuesday.
Highly-placed sources said the agency is trying to locate Rajeev Kumar and has even written to the West Bengal DGP Veerendra and Chief Secretary Moloy Dey to instruct Kumar to appear before the investigation team. The sources also informed that a special team has been constituted to locate Kumar.
Rajeev Kumar did not appear for questioning twice in spite of CBI notices after the Kolkata High Court withdrew the protection given to him from arrest Friday. The agency had given him the notice to appear at 10am on Tuesday but he again failed to turn up.
The agency has now started proceeding on ‘other options’ available to it under the law, they said.
The West Bengal DGP, in a letter Monday, had told the CBI that its notices were sent to Kumar’s official residence and his response is awaited. It should also be mentioned here that the Chief Secretary and Home Secretary of West Bengal have sent letters to Rajeev Kumar’s official residence asking him to appear before the CBI.
Meanwhile, a special court here refused to grant anticipatory bail to Kumar, citing lack of jurisdiction.
The matter was then moved to a sessions court where both Kumar’s and CBI’s lawyers have recorded their statements. The CBI has requested the court to allow it to issue a non-bailable arrest warrant against Kumar. Meanwhile the former Kolkata top cop’s counsel in his plea has said that Kumar should be granted bail as he has always cooperated with the probe agency.
Agencies
