Ex-Kolkata Police chief Rajeev Kumar moves Barasat court for anticipatory bail

After a special court refused to hear his plea on Tuesday, former Kolkata Police chief Rajeev Kumar moved Barasat District Sessions Court for anticipatory bail in the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam case.

District Sessions Judge S Rashidi is likely to hear Mr Kumar's prayer in the post-lunch session.

One of the lawyers of the the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) present in the court said the agency will oppose Mr Kumar's anticipatory bail petition.

Mr Kumar's lawyers moved the prayer before the sessions judge after the special court in the district, incharge of trial of criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, refused to hear the petition this morning, saying it does not have jurisdiction to hear anticipatory bail pleas.

It also said Mr Kumar could move the court of Barasat district sessions judge with his application.

The CBI office at CGO complex in Salt Lake comes under the jurisdiction of Barasat court in North 24 Parganas district.

Mr Kumar failed to appear for questioning before the CBI in connection with the case on Tuesday.

The agency had given him a notice to appear at 10 am but he failed to turn up, sources said.

They said Mr Kumar did not appear for questioning twice in spite of CBI notices after the Calcutta High Court withdrew the protection given to him from arrest last week.

The high court had on September 13 vacated its interim order granting the former Kolkata Police commissioner protection from arrest in the case.

It had also rejected Mr Kumar's prayer for quashing the CBI notice that sought his appearance for questioning in the case.

Mr Kumar, who is currently the West Bengal CID additional director general, was part of a Special Investigation Team set up by the state government to investigate the scam, before the Supreme Court handed over the case to the CBI in 2014, along with other chit fund cases.