SC allows West Bengal govt to file report on questioning of Abhishek’s PA in land-grab probe
The Supreme Court on Monday permitted the West Bengal government to file a detailed investigation report in a sealed cover in support of its claim that Sumit Roy, personal secretary of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, was not cooperating with the police in the ongoing probe in the Salboni land-grab case.
Earlier on August 31, the top court had asked the state government to produce records pertaining to the interrogation of Roy. It had also extended Roy’s protection from arrest until the next hearing.
On Monday, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, told the bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices J Joymalya Bagchi and J V Mohana that he wanted to file a “detailed interrogation” report of Roy.
“On the last date, a query was (made) whether he was confronted with the issue of large cash deposits. There was detailed interrogation and he remained elusive. I have the transcript. It can be posted tomorrow or the day after,” the law officer said.
The submissions were made when the counsel for Roy sought a pass-over of the hearing on grounds that senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan was busy in some other court.
The solicitor general said that he was merely seeking the court’s nod to file the detailed report in the sealed cover for the perusal of the bench.
He said that the report was sought to be filed in a sealed cover as police could not share details of the investigation with the accused at present.
The bench, meanwhile, allowed the request of the law officer and extended the protection to Roy till the next date of hearing. It was hearing Roy’s appeal, challenging the August 3 order of the Calcutta High Court denying him pre-arrest bail in the Salboni case.
On August 6, it stayed Roy’s arrest in connection with the matter. Earlier, Shankarnarayanan had said that the entire interrogation had been videographed and that his client had answered all questions put to him.
Correcting an earlier submission that Roy had exercised his right to remain silent, the senior lawyer had said an additional affidavit filed before the bench showed that Roy had not invoked the right against self-incrimination and had cooperated fully with the investigation.
He alleged, however, that investigators had largely questioned Roy about his family and the functioning, recruitment and funding of the Trinamool Congress rather than the offence for which he was being investigated. On August 3, the High Court rejected Roy’s anticipatory bail plea in the alleged land fraud case being investigated by the police.
The case was registered under penal provisions relating to cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, use of forged documents and criminal conspiracy.
