The Central government told the Supreme Court that the Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar is a ‘potential accused’ in the chit fund scam. But the Supreme Court dismissed the allegations, it demanded evidence against the Kolkata police chief, the government has sought 24 hours to produce evidence.
The Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta represented the Government told the court that, “There are some extraordinary circumstances. The CBI Joint Director was held hostage at CBI office yesterday. We apprehend that electronic evidence might be destroyed.”
To which the Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi responded saying, “No evidence that Kolkata police is destroying evidence ,. Lay down evidence and we will come down so heavily that he will regret it.”
West Bengal government was represented by Abhishek Manu Singhvi, he told the court that it was a witch hunt by the CBI as the Kolkata police chief is a witness and not an accused in the case. The bench also asked for the state to keep it’s defence ready when it takes up the matter tomorrow.
Yesterday, close to 40 CBI officials arrived at the residence of Kolkata police chief to arrest him, Rajeev Kumar. But the confrontation turned ugly as the CBI officials were picked up and sent to two different police stations for questioning.
As the situation grew tense the Government of India sent out CRPF personnel to guard the CBI offices in Kolkata.
The Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called the CBI’s move a political vendetta. Since then she has been sitting on a dharna (protest) to save democracy.
Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar, headed a Special Investigation Team to probe the Saradha and Rose Valley Ponzi scams n 2013 in which several Trinamool Congress members were involved. The CBI had asked for his help as many documents were reported missing.
(The Pigeon Express Opinion – It is important for the state and the centre to have cordial relations, but these events in the past 24 hours ruined the already flimsy relation. There is no evidence that this was a witch hunt, but also there is no evidence to prove this isn’t a witch hunt.
I’d like to believe that the CBI officials were doing a clean investigation, but wanted the assistance of the Police chief. Now since the police chief was not cooperating with the investigation, the CBI should’ve first knocked the doors of the Supreme Court, because the Supreme court ordered for an investigation.
Since the CBI did not take the legal route, I believe their facing the wrath.
Also to highlight I’d want to know why the CBI woke up two years later, that too an election year. So this pulls in enough room for speculations.)