CID – Abhishek Banerjee’s aide Sumit Roy appears for questioning in land case
CID – Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress general secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee, appeared before the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in Kolkata on Saturday after remaining untraceable for an extended period. Roy reached the agency’s office at Bhavani Bhavan in South Kolkata to participate in questioning linked to a land-grabbing case.
Roy reaches Bhavani Bhavan before scheduled appearance
Roy arrived at the CID headquarters shortly before 10 a.m., ahead of the 11 a.m. reporting time mentioned in a notice served at his South Kolkata residence on Friday evening. Investigators had directed him to appear before the agency as part of the ongoing probe.
His appearance came after several attempts to obtain protection from arrest through the courts. Multiple cases and FIRs have been registered against Roy, and he had previously approached both the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court seeking protection from coercive action.
Supreme Court grants interim protection from arrest
The Supreme Court on August 6 granted Roy interim protection from arrest in the land-grabbing case registered at Salboni Police Station in West Midnapore district. The order was passed by a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana.
The protection, however, was accompanied by specific conditions. The Supreme Court directed Roy to join the investigation and cooperate fully with the investigating authorities. His arrest in the case will remain stayed until further orders from the court.
Calcutta High Court had earlier rejected bail plea
Roy moved the Supreme Court after the Calcutta High Court declined to grant him anticipatory bail in the same case. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, while rejecting the plea, observed that the matter did not qualify for anticipatory bail considering the allegations and the material collected by investigators during the probe.
The High Court order had left Roy vulnerable to arrest, prompting him to seek relief from the apex court. The subsequent interim protection paved the way for his appearance before the CID.
Investigation centres on alleged government land transactions
The case concerns allegations that government-vested land in Salboni was illegally taken over and sold using allegedly forged documents. Police registered an FIR after receiving a complaint and began investigating the transactions and the circumstances surrounding the alleged land dealings.
As investigators were unable to locate Roy at addresses known to them, a local court subsequently issued an arrest warrant. The West Bengal Police CID had also issued a lookout notice as part of efforts to trace him.
Searches were conducted at two locations in June
The investigation had earlier included searches at premises connected with Roy. In June, police teams searched Abhishek Banerjee’s residence in the Kalighat area of Kolkata as well as the residence of Roy’s in-laws in Serampore.
Roy was not found at either location during those searches. His subsequent appearance before the CID marks a significant development in the investigation, although the probe into the allegations remains ongoing.
The case and the allegations against Roy are subject to the ongoing legal process. The courts will determine the next course of action based on the investigation and proceedings before them.