The Supreme Court on Tuesday, 5 February, ruled out the arrest of Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The CBI has sought to question Kumar as part of their investigation into the Saradha chit fund scam and the Rose Valley Scam. The bench has ordered Kumar to meet the CBI to answer their questions at a neutral venue, “namely Shillong.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has hailed the move as a “moral victory.”
The CBI have filed two pleas before the Supreme Court: one for ensuring the West Bengal government’s cooperation in their investigation of the scam, while the second is a contempt petition arguing the Kolkata Police and West Bengal government violated a 2014 Supreme Court judgment which directed them to cooperate with the CBI.