Kolkata standoff: SC to hear CBI plea against Mamata govt on Tuesday

Did not find anything in CBI application showing destruction of evidence: SC

kolkata police CBI officers were detained by Kolkata police on Sunday night | Salil Bera

At the heart of an ensuing tussle between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday approached the Supreme Court alleging destruction of electronic evidence related to Saradha chit fund scam case. The Supreme Court has decided to hear the CBI's plea alleging contempt against Kolkata Police officers at 10:30am on Tuesday. 

The CBI moved two applications—one, for the Kolkata police to surrender the evidence before it is destroyed and two, contempt for flouting of the orders and judgement passed by the Supreme Court in the Saradha scam case in 2014 and 2015.

The bench, headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi, said it did not find anything in the application showing destruction of evidence, as claimed by the Centre, reported Bar and Bench. “We have gone through your interim application, there is nothing in it (on destruction of evidence),” said Gogoi responding to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's plea to hear the matter on Monday itself. The bench declined the plea of the SG to hear the two applications on Monday in the post-lunch session. 

READ: Mamata sits on dharna after CBI-police showdown in Kolkata


“If you can raise some evidence that the CP(commissioner of police) was even remotely thinking of destroying evidence, we will come down so heavily on him, he’ll regret it”, CJI Gogoi remarked.

The officers, including Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar have been accused of destruction of electronic evidence in the Saradha case by the CBI. Appearing for the CBI, Mehta alleged that senior policemen in uniform sat on dharna with political leaders at Kolkata last night. 

Responding to his allegations, CJI Ranjan Gogoi said that it was open for the solicitor general to place material in court to show any authority/police in West Bengal trying to destroy evidence in Saradha case. "All material, evidence has to be placed by means of affidavit. We will hear the matter tomorrow," said CJI Gogoi. 

Kolkata witnessed unprecedented events on Sunday after the CBI locked horns with the Mamata government. Mamata Banerjee began a sit-in protest in Kolkata over the CBI's attempt to question the Kolkata Police chief in connection with chit fund scams, insisting it stifled the spirit of "Constitution and federalism".