Published 12:23 IST, February 9th 2019
CBI to question Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar in Shillong. LIVE UPDATES
Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar will appear before CBI for questioning in Shillong on Saturday in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, two days after the Supreme Court directed him to "faithfully" cooperate with the investigation.
Advertisement
12:23 IST, February 9th 2019
Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar will appear before CBI for questioning in Shillong on Saturday in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, two days after the Supreme Court directed him to "faithfully" cooperate with the investigation.
Earlier on Friday, Republic TV confronted Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar on the allegations against him after he landed in Shillong on Friday. The Senior News Editor of Republic TV Shawan Sen was the only journalist to confront the top cop.
He also demanded an answer on the Mamata Banerjee-led government's threat to file a case against Republic TV's Editor-In-Chief Arnab Goswami over the reporting of the stand-off between CBI and the Kolkata Police over the agency coming to question the city top cop in the case.
The Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has issued an official letter threatening Arnab Goswami's Republic TV and Republic Bharat over reporting on the dramatic face-off that ensued on Sunday night when a CBI team arrived at the residence of Kolkata CP Rajeev Kumar to question him in connection with the Saradha chit-fund scam.
In the letter, issued under the letterhead of the Government of West Bengal and written by top officers of the Kolkata police, the Mamata government says that Republic TV's coverage had defamed the reputation of the Kolkata CP and the Kolkata Police.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court had given a go-ahead to CBI to probe the Kolkata Commissioner of Police Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund scam. The CBI had approached the apex court after the Mamata Banerjee government had blocked the agency's officers on Sunday from investigating Kolkata CP Rajeev Kumar.
The three-judge bench comprising of CJI Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjeev Khanna took up the matter on Tuesday, and ruled that Rajeev Kumar should make himself available in front of the CBI for investigation, though, the investigative agency cannot arrest him at the present moment.
Further, the apex court ruled that the meeting between the Kolkata CP and CBI will take place in Shillong. It also issued notices to West Bengal Chief Secretary, the DGP, and Rajeev Kumar in relation to the contempt of court plea by the Attorney General KK Venugopal, who was representing the CBI.
12:23 IST, February 9th 2019
Update at 11:38 AM
Republic TV access details of CBI probe on Kolkata top cop Rajeev Kumar:
On 9th May 2014 Supreme Court had handed over the probe in the chit fund case to CBI.
- A team of CBI officers led by Joint Director will examine him
- CBI will concentrate on Kumar's role when he headed the SIT between 2013-14.
- A 22-page questionnaire is prepared to probe Rajeev Kumar
Major points on which he will be examined:
- Why did the SIT investigating officer (who reported to Kumar) handed over laptops and mobile phones to main accused Sudipto Sen. This at a time when Calcutta High Court was supervising the probe.
- Why no action was taken against him. This "tampered" evidence was later given to CBI?
- On 28th June 2018, Kumar handed over Call Detail Records, CDRs, of accused persons to CBI. When CBI got the same CDRs from the service provider, the agency found that Kumar had "tampered" and "deleted" some entries in the CDR of CBI. CBI would ask him about this discrepancy.
- Kumar will be asked why he repeatedly refused to join the probe despite summons being issued to him.
- Did SIT headed by him prepared an inventory list of all seized item and was it handed over to CBI?
Advertisement
12:23 IST, February 9th 2019
Update at 11:39 AM
Kolkata Police Commissioner reaches CBI office in Shillong
12:23 IST, February 9th 2019
Update at 12:00 PM
The sequence of events:
10:50 am: Rajeev Kumar entered CBI office along with 2 other Kolkata Police Officers. His lawyer was already present there.
11:15 am: Rajeev was taken to a separate room. The two other officers and the lawyer were asked to leave the premises.
Advertisement
12:23 IST, February 9th 2019
Update at 12:23 PM
Rajeev Kumar makes a request to CBI to finish the examination with a day or two since he is required in Kolkata.
09:30 IST, February 9th 2019