New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday agreed to give an urgent hearing to CBI’s plea alleging destruction of electronic evidence related to the Saradha chit fund scam case by the Kolkata police commissioner and said it will come down heavily on him if he “even remotely” tries to destroy the evidence.
The apex court said it will hear Tuesday probe agency’s applications which alleged that an extraordinary situation has arisen in which the top police officials of West Bengal Police are sitting on a dharna along with a political party in Kolkata.
The applications accusing Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar of destroying evidence related to the case and indulging in contempt of court were mentioned by Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta before a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjeev Khanna.
The bench declined the SG’s plea to hear the two applications Monday in the post-lunch session. It said during the interregnum it will be open for the SG or any other party to lay before the court any material or evidence to show that any West Bengal authority or police official is planning or trying to destroy evidence related to the case.
Taking strong note of Mehta’s submission, the bench said “if the police commissioner is even remotely trying to destroy evidence, we will come down so heavily on him that he will regret”.
BJD backs Mamata
Raising questions over the integrity of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Biju Janta Dal (BJD) MP Bhartruhari Mahtab said the incident in Kolkata Sunday evening smacks of impropriety.
Speaking during Zero Hour in Lok Sabha, the BJD parliamentary party leader said the manner in which the CBI officers wanted to barge into Kolkata Police Commissioner’s residence with 40 personnel, questions the institutional integrity of CBI.
“The manner in which CBI has been functioning over last two-three years does not show any professionalism and that is why the CBI has come into such criticism today. We are not a banana republic. The situation has aggravated to such an extent where institutions are being derided because of certain motivated actions of certain personnel. This should be stopped at all quarters,” the BJD MP said.
He also flayed the central agency’s action of barging into a sitting Orissa HC Judge’s residence before panchayat elections and also for defaming the BJD.
“Adequate steps were taken by the CBI to defame Biju Janta Dal and actions again have started emanating in Odisha also just to defame the leaders of BJD. This smacks of unprofessionalism and we want CBI to be a professional institution and also should target those people who are indulging in corruption,” the BJD MP said.