The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the Central Bureau of Investigation’s petition against the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government on Tuesday, Bar & Bench reported. The bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, however, told the investigating agency that there is “nothing about the destruction of evidence” in its interim application.
“If you can raise some evidence that the commissioner was even remotely thinking of destroying evidence, we will come down so heavily on him, he will regret it,” Gogoi said.
The CBI had accused the Trinamool Congress-led government of “non-cooperation” after West Bengal police detained a team that attempted to question Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with Rose Valley and Saradha scams. The agency has accused Kumar of destroying evidence in the Saradha chit fund case.
The investigating agency has filed a contempt plea against West Bengal’s chief secretary, director general of police and Kolkata police commissioner for willful and deliberate violation of top court’s orders in the Saradha scam case, ANI reported. Another petition has demanded for the surrender of evidence before it is allegedly destroyed.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the CBI, claimed that the agency’s joint director was “held hostage” at its office on Sunday. “There are some extraordinary circumstances…We apprehend that electronic evidence might be destroyed,” Bar & Bench quoted Mehta as saying.
Banerjee began the “Save the Constitution” protest on Kolkata’s Esplanade on Sunday to oppose the agency’s attempts to question Kumar. Banerjee has accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of using the central agency to plot a coup.
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