Saradha Scam: Madan Mitra's bail plea rejected

The bail plea of West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra, arrested in connection with Saradha chit fund scam, was rejected by a court in Kolkata on Wednesday. Mitra's bail prayer was rejected by Alipore District and Sessions Judge Samaresh Prasad Chowdhury.

Opposing the bail prayer, the CBI counsel said Mitra was an influential person and his further custodial stay was required. The counsel stated that Mitra had helped agents of the Saradha Group raise funds from the public and that he was present at a meeting of the Saradha agents held in an indoor stadium in the city.

Meanwhile, Mitra was shifted to SSKM Hospital from the Alipore Central Correctional Home after he complained of health problems. Mitra's lawyers had filed the bail petition on February six soon after Trinamool Congress MP Srinjoy Bose got bail from the same court as Section 409 (criminal breach of trust) of IPC was not incorporated in the order of lower court judge Haradhan Mukherjee of Alipore ACJM. Bose's 60-day jail term ended the day he got bail.

CBI filed a correctional petition before the lower court two days back seeking incorporation of Section 409 in the judge's order. The judge said it was a clerical error which had crept in when writing the judgement and subsequently incorporated the Section. Mitra's 60-day jail term ended on Wednesday.