The Supreme Court on Monday asked former Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar to file his response within seven days after the Central Bureau of Investigation had asked for custodial interrogation of the officer.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi will hear the matter – in connection with the investigation of the Saradha chit fund scam case – on April 15.
The central investigating agency has alleged that Kumar “did not disclose any information crucial to investigation of the chit fund cases and gave evasive replies”, and that he had not cooperated with the investigation. The CBI has also alleged that “the demeanour, tone and tenor and the body language” of Kumar had “led to serious apprehension in the minds of the investigators” that he “tried all along to shield some body”.
The contempt plea was filed in the Supreme Court by the CBI on February 4 a day after a team of CBI officers landed outside Kumar’s official residence in Kolkata (he was then Kolkata Police commissioner) on a “secret” mission, apparently to question him, and were detained for some time by the local police authorities. Later, chief minister Mamata Banerjee reached his residence and went on a dharna in Kolkata to protest the CBI’s alleged high-handedness.
Later, the apex court asked Kumar to cooperate with the CBI authorities in the investigation and share information at a “neutral location”, Shillong.
