Saradha chit fund scam: Calcutta High Court grants protection from arrest to former top cop Rajeev Kumar

Former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar was granted a month-long protection from arrest by the Calcutta High Court on Thursday.

Kumar moved a petition in court seeking quashing of the CBI summons that asked him to appear before the agency in connection with the multicrore-rupees Saradha chit fund scam.

However, the court ordered Kumar to submit his passport to CBI within 24 hours. The court has further said that he cannot travel outside Kolkata unless there is a medical emergency and has to live in his official residence where the CBI officers will record his attendance every day at 4 pm.

The single-bench headed by Justice Pratik Prakash Banerjee ordered Kumar to cooperate with the agency and appear for questioning as and when required. Amidst interrogation, Kumar has to face the agency alone while his lawyer waits outside.

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The vacation bench hearing the matter sent it to a normal bench and it will come up for hearing on June 12.

Kumar was issued summons by the CBI to appear before the agency on Monday.

But he skipped the summons and informed CBI that he had gone on a leave for personal reasons and asked for seven days' time.

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But CBI denied him his request and instead a lookout notice was issued against him to prevent him from flying out of the country.

The CBI had sought a custodial interrogation of Kumar, who was heading a SIT probing the scam, before the CBI took over.