The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the Central Bureau of Investigation's (CBI) plea against the anticipatory bail granted to Rajeev Kumar, a senior IPS officer of the West Bengal cadre, in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam. The hearing is set to take place on October 17.

A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran acknowledged the submissions made by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who is representing the CBI. Mehta has urged the court to consider the plea alongside other pending petitions, including a contempt case, to facilitate a comprehensive review of the long-running investigation. The court has agreed to hear the plea along with related matters.

The CBI argues that custodial interrogation of Rajeev Kumar is essential to uncover the money trail and other crucial details of the scam. The agency maintains that Kumar's arrest is necessary for the investigation to proceed effectively.

The Chief Justice questioned the CBI's apparent inaction over the years, noting that Kumar was granted anticipatory bail on October 1, 2019, and, according to his counsel, has not been summoned by the CBI since then. "Why should we keep this matter pending? You have done nothing during all these years,” the CJI said.

The Solicitor General responded by asserting that the case involves serious obstruction of the investigation. He cited an incident where the residence of a senior CBI officer was allegedly besieged by unruly individuals during prior attempts to question Kumar. Mehta requested the court to take up all related cases together after the Diwali vacation.

In January 2019, the situation escalated into an unprecedented standoff between the Central government and the West Bengal government when a CBI team arrived at Kumar's residence to question him, only to be met with resistance from local police who detained the CBI officers. Then Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee defended Kumar and initiated a sit-in protest against the Centre's actions.

The Saradha chit fund scam, one of the largest financial frauds in eastern India, was exposed in 2013 when Kumar was serving as the Bidhannagar Police Commissioner. Before the Supreme Court transferred the case to the CBI, he was part of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) established by the West Bengal government to investigate the scam. The agency maintains that Kumar's custodial interrogation is essential to uncover the trail of the scam, which duped thousands of investors of over Rs 2,500 crore through fraudulent deposit schemes promising high returns.