Officers of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Sunday evening reached the residence of former Kolkata Police Commissioner on Park Street and served a notice asking him to appear before them by 10 a.m. on Monday.
Later, they reached Bhawani Bhawan, the office of the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID), also serving the same notice.
Kumar’s protection from custodial interrogation – granted to him by the Supreme Court – ended on Friday. Kumar had moved Supreme Court seeking extension of the protection pleading that the courts in West Bengal were not functional because of lawyers’ strike. However, the apex court said that the courts in Bengal were in fact, functioning and he could appear in person to seek legal remedies.
But despite coming down to Kolkata from Delhi on the same day, he could not get the legal protection on Friday because of technical reasons. It was thus assumed that Kumar would apply for anticipatory bail on Monday. However, the CBI’s notice asking him to be present in their Salt Lake office by 10 am on Monday makes it almost impossible for him to appear in court because the office hours in court begin around the same time.
Earlier this month, the Election Commission had ordered his transfer from the CID and attached him to the Ministry of Home Affairs. On Sunday, with the lifting of the model code of conduct, the West Bengal government issued an order asking him to take over charge as the ADG-CID again. The CBI officers thus went to the CID office from serving the notice at his residence. According to reports, the officers had been trying to get in touch with Kumar over phone since Saturday, but could not reach him, and had to serve the notice at his home and office as a result.
