CBI report against ex-Kol CP has something very, very serious

Mamata Banerjee during her 'Save the Constitution' dharna after CBI raids at former CP Rajiv Kumar's residence in Kolkata. File Pic

The CBI status report reveals "something very, very serious", the Supreme Court said perusing the document filed by the agency in connection with the questioning of former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajiv Kumar in the Saradha chit fund case.

"The CBI status report against former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar reveals something very, very serious," a bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said. The court directed Kumar to reply within 10 days on the status report, which was filed in a sealed cover. "We will later determine the charges and counter-charges after hearing both the sides," it said.

The CBI has moved an application seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against various senior officials of the West Bengal government, including the state's DGP and Kumar on the grounds of alleged non-cooperation in its probe and destruction of evidence in the case. Last month, the top court had asked the probe agency to file an affidavit giving details about its claim that Kumar had tampered with evidence in the chit fund scam.

The bench had pointed out that according to the CBI, the evidence tampering took place in June 2018 and asked the agency why it approached the court only in February 2019 after the incident of February 3 when a CBI team arrived at Kumar's residence to question him in connection with the case.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates