Himanta Biswa Sarma not examined in Saradha scam: Ex-Kolkata top cop tells HC

New Delhi, July 24: Former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar told the Calcutta high court that the CBI has not examined Assam finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma though his name has cropped up in the Saradha chit fund scam case.

Kumar's counsel Milan Mukherjee submitted before Justice Madhumati Mitra that the IPS officer has, on the other hand, been singled out among 121 officers of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the West Bengal government.

Mukherjee submitted that Sarma has not been examined by the CBI despite his name having cropped up in the probe by the SIT five years back when the scam was unearthed in 2013.

Mukherjee accused the CBI of malafide intention to malign his client by picking him for questioning among the 121 officers of the SIT.

Kumar, who was the commissioner of Bidhannagar Police when the scam broke out, looked after the day to day operations of the SIT.

Kumar has moved the high court seeking quashing of a CBI notice to him in May for appearing before it for assisting in probing the multi-crore Saradha chitfund scam.
Hearing in the matter was adjourned till Thursday when it will be taken up again.