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P Chidambaram’s judicial custody extended till October 17 by CBI court

OpIndia Staff
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P Chidambaram’s judicial custody extended till October 17 by CBI court

The CBI court today extended former Union Minister P Chidambaram’s judicial custody till October 17, 2019. CBI had moved an application to the court seeking an extension of the judicial custody of the erstwhile finance minister which was set to end today. Chidambaram has been held up in Tihar Jail for his alleged involvement in the INX Media scam.


Besides, Chidambaram also moved an application for home-cooked food in Tihar. Earlier too, Chidambaram had filed a plea seeking home-cooked food in Tihar but the court had listed the hearing to October 3. Prosecution counsel Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that CBI has no objection to Chidambaram’s petition for home-cooked food.

Earlier in the day, minutes before Chidambaram’s arrival, the court was sent into a frenzy after an unclaimed bag was reported in the court premises. The security officials evacuated the courtroom and a thorough inspection was carried out to avoid any unforeseen incident.

P Chidambaram has been in custody since August 21 and is currently lodged in the Tihar jail. He is under the scanner of CBI and the Enforcement Directorate in the INX Media case in which he is accused of misusing his position as India’s finance minister and granting several clearances to the INX Media company.

Chidambaram has moved to the Supreme Court seeking bail in the INX Media case. The CBI has been objecting his bail on the ground that he might influence witnesses.

BJP Mahila Morcha leader and TikTok star Sonali Phogat to contest Haryana Assembly elections against Congress’ Kuldeep Bishnoi

OpIndia Staff
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BJP Mahila Morcha leader and TikTok star Sonali Phogat to contest Haryana Assembly elections against Congress’ Kuldeep Bishnoi

The BJP has fielded Mahila Morcha leader and TikTok star Sonali Phogat against Congress’ sitting MLA Kuldeep Bishnoi from Adampur seat in Haryana. The state is to go to polls on 21st October along with Maharashtra. Sonali Phogat, who is quite a star on TikTok goes by the username ‘@sonaliphogat’.


Her videos on TikTok are quite popular.


Phogat has been associated with the BJP and has also been part of the Mahila Morcha. She then ventured into acting and has acted in various serials. Her husband Sanjay Phogat was found dead under mysterious circumstances in December 2016.

The result for the 90-seat Haryana Assembly elections will be declared on 24th October. As per reports, Phogat has been an actress and has also acted in some serials. After the announcement, Sonali Phogat’s followers on TikTok have been through the roof.

Adampur falls in the Hisar region of Haryana and has been a stronghold of Bhajanlal family. Bhajanlal family members have never lost an election fighting from Adampur seat since 1967. Congress’ Kuldeep Bishnoi himself has won it thrice. However, Bhajanlal’s grandson Bhavya Bishnoi lost the 2019 Lok Sabha election to BJP’s Brijendra for Adampur seat.

Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh says ex PM Dr Manmohan Singh unlikely to go to Pakistan for inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh says ex PM Dr Manmohan Singh unlikely to go to Pakistan for inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has said that media reports of former PM Dr Manmohan Singh visiting Pakistan for inauguration of Kartarpur Corridor are incorrect. As per news agency ANI, Captain Singh said that while he is definitely not going to Pakistan for the inauguration, he believes Dr Singh will also decline the invite.

Earlier, media reports had poured in that former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has accepted Pakistan’s invitation to join the 1st Jatha to Kartarpur Gurdwara on November 9.

According to the reports, the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh had met the former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and invited him for the inauguration of Kartarpur corridor and attend the main event at Sultanpur Lodhi to mark Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s 550th Prakash Purab.

In a tweet, Captain Amarinder Singh had confirmed that he had earlier invited Dr Singh to join him on the Jatha to Kartarpur Sahib.


There is no official denial from Dr Manmohan Singh yet. The proposed visit of Manmohan Singh to Pakistan to visit Kartarpur Sahib may spark new outrage within the country as the visit to the terror state of Pakistan by former Prime Minister might send wrong signals at a time when the whole world is rejecting Pakistan for its state-sponsored terror.

Last week, Pakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had said that his country had decided to invite Manmohan Singh to attend the inaugural ceremony of the Kartarpur Corridor.

However, there were reports that Singh’s office was not at all aware of Pakistan’s plans on the event and had maintained that he was unlikely to travel to the country in view of the current tense situation over Kashmir.

The proposed Kartarpur corridor will connect Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in Pakistan with the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Gurdaspur district of Punjab, and facilitate visa-free movement of Indian pilgrims, who will only have to obtain a permit to visit the revered Kartarpur Sahib.

However, a Pakistani spy, part of a larger espionage network, was caught recently by the military intelligence from Gurdaspur in Punjab. The accused Pakistani spy was sending photographs and information related to the construction of Kartarpur corridor to his handlers in Pakistan through his WhatsApp number raising doubts about Pakistan’s intention to build the corridor.

Earlier, the Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh had also warned the country about Pakistan’s treacherous plans to use the Kartarpur corridor to inflict terror on India, especially by reviving Khalistani terror. Captain Amarinder Singh had reiterated his position on the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor by Pakistan. He claimed that it is an ISI ploy to strengthen anti-India forces, including the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ).

Pakistan is scheduled to open the Kartarpur Corridor for Indian Sikh pilgrims on November 9, days ahead of the 550th birth anniversary of first Sikh guru Baba Nanak Dev on November 12. Initially, only 5,000 pilgrims will be allowed to visit daily from India but later it will be increased to 10,000 pilgrims per day.

On November 22 last year, the government of India had announced its intention to build the Indian side of the Kartarpur Corridor and had urged Pakistan to reciprocate by building the corridor on Pakistan side.

Senior Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu had caused a severe controversy after he posed with Khalistani terrorist Gopal Singh Chawla during his controversial visit to Pakistan to inaugurate the Kartarpur corridor.

Terror alert in Delhi after inputs of JeM terrorists planning strike, police raids at 9 locations, security tightened

OpIndia Staff
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Terror alert in Delhi after inputs of JeM terrorists planning strike, police raids at 9 locations, security tightened

Four terrorists of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed have entered Delhi and are planning to strike during the festival season, inputs received by security agencies have revealed. Security has been beefed up following the intelligence inputs and several airbases across North India have been put on high alert.

According to inputs by the security agencies, a special cell of the Delhi Police received an alert last evening about the presence of the terrorists in the capital. All four are said to be heavily armed. The police have been conducting raids across the capital city. Areas like Jamia Nagar, Jafrabad, Chandni Chowk, Okhla among other areas have been raided by the special cell of the Delhi police in search of the JeM terrorists. Reports say that in total, 9 different locations were raided by Delhi police last night and 2 suspects were detained for questioning.

“We are on alert and taking all anti-terrorism measures. We are working on all inputs. There is nothing to worry,” said MS Randhawa, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Delhi).

It is reported that the security agencies were put on a Category-A terror alert following the input of four highly trained terrorists being active in the city.

In the past weeks, security agencies have received several inputs about possible terror attacks in protest against Centre’s move on Article 370 for Jammu and Kashmir. Spooked by the decision, terror state Pakistan has been constantly trying to create unrest in India.

Recently, India was on high alert after intel inputs warning of a terror plan to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, home ministry sources said on September 26. The ministry had put out an alert to all states following a threat naming 30 major cities. Indian Air Force (IAF) sources had also confirmed a serious security threat to frontline bases following multi-agency inputs.

Earlier on August 23, Tamil Nadu was on high alert after Intelligence agencies sounded a warning that six Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists disguised as Hindus with Tilak on their forehead may have entered Coimbatore from Sri Lanka for possible attacks in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Following this, the Adani and Kandla port in Gujarat were on high alert after intelligence input suggested that Pakistan trained commandos had sneaked into the Gulf of Kutch through the Harami Nala Creak Area. The BSF (Border Security Force) had found two Pakistani abandoned boats along the India-Pakistan border in Kutch in the Harami Nala area.

UNGA outcome: Erdogan’s anti-India stand may cost Turkish company a 2.3 billion USD deal with Indian Navy

OpIndia Staff
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UNGA outcome: Erdogan’s anti-India stand may cost Turkish company a 2.3 billion USD deal with Indian Navy

Turkish company Anadolu Shipyard, which is one of three shortlisted companies for the selection for the FSS (fleet support ship) project of the Indian Navy may have to bear the brunt for its President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s unwarranted utterances on Jammu and Kashmir in the recently concluded United Nations General Assembly(UNGA). The company’s collaboration with the Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL) for the FSS project pegged at $2.3 billion is likely to be put on a hold.

Financial Express has quoted a senior official saying that the contract for the 45,000-ton fleet support ships (FSS) for the Indian Navy with the Turkish Company could be indefinitely delayed due to Turkey’s UNGA statements.

The officer further speculated that the delay maybe because of the fallout with Turkey at the UNGA following its President’s remarks on Jammu and Kashmir. “It could be a result of Turkey warming up to Pakistan and raising Kashmir issue at the recently concluded 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA),” said the officer.

The Turkish Shipyard was L1 and had technically met the requirements for the FSS project for the Indian Navy from among three other global companies who were in the competition for the construction of five ships. The Request for Proposal floated by India had garnered responses from seven global players.

Some of the companies that displayed interest in the proposal were- the German ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS), Fincantieri of Italy, Navantia from Spain, Rosboronexports (ROE) from Russia and Turkey’s Anadolu Shipyard. However, at the end of the scrutiny, only three companies- TKMS, ROE and the Turkish Shipyard made the cut based on India’s requirements.

The contract is yet to be signed even as analysis of the technical and financial assessment is underway. According to the proposed deal, Turkish shipyard is expected to provide ship design, supply key machinery equipment (KME) and provide technical assistance to the Indian counterpart.

The second round of negotiations related to price is yet to take place. This is the first time that a Turkish shipyard company, part of TAIS group had participated in any defence contract in India.

However, it appears that Erdogan’s siding with Pakistan may have delivered a body blow to the Turkish shipyard company on its prospects to ink a defence deal with the Indian Navy.

In a strident speech at the UN General Assembly, President Erdogan had mirrored Pakistan’s lines on the Kashmir issue, saying that the issue needs to be resolved through “dialogue on the basis of justice, equity and not through collision”, in an attempt to create an illusion that India has been in the wrong . The Turkish president further added that the stability and prosperity of South Asia with India’s western neighbour is inseparable from the Kashmir issue.

Erdogan yesterday defended his statements on Kashmir saying that he would continue to raise the Kashmir issue. After Erdogan’s hostile comments on Jammu and Kashmir, PM Modi had retorted back in the same coin by meeting the heads of Ankara’s rivals- Greece, Cyprus and Armenia, who have a bone to pick with Turkey.

The Hindu ‘journalist’ cannot distinguish between revenue and profit, gets mocked on social media

OpIndia Staff
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The Hindu ‘journalist’ cannot distinguish between revenue and profit, gets mocked on social media

Vijaita Singh, a journalist at The Hindu who is known to have a complicated relationship with the truth, has landed herself in troubled waters yet again. This time, it’s over her tweet on Doordarshan for carrying an advertisement of PayTM. It appears she doesn’t understand something as basic as the difference between revenue and profit.


People pointed out to her that it was obviously a paid advertisement but that didn’t stop Vijaita from sticking to her flawed logic.


It’s not unusual for a government-owned channel to run paid advertisements. “It’s not a profit making body,” is not a valid reason for why it should be a loss-making body. It’s only natural that the government would want to recover the costs that have been invested in the channel by running paid advertisements. However, all of this appears to make too much sense for Vijaita Singh to fathom.

Unsurprisingly, her tweet has attracted much ridicule from people on social media and rightly so.


She was also oblivious to the fact that product placement like the PayTM sticker on the laptop of Doordarshan news anchor is also form of advertising.


A Twitter user even pointed out to her that the laptop sticker is one of the forms of ‘non-FCT (free commercial time) advertising options available to broadcasters.


While regular advertising works during commercial breaks, such stickers on laptops work as ‘non-FCT’ advertisement and are usually at premium.

At one point she even said how this is conflict of interest since PayTM is direct competition to BHIM UPI app.


Clearly, The Hindu ‘journalists’ do not seem quite well-versed with the concept of competition and free market. If BHIM UPI pays the money, even it could have its logo on the laptops of Doordarshan news anchors.op

Today’s episode is another feather in Vijaita Singh’s stellar journalism career thus far. In the past, she has peddled misleading information on Jammu & Kashmir following the abrogation of Article 370 which attracted a strong condemnation by a Police Officer from the state.

Vijaita Singh also came to the defense of Pallava Bagla after his atrocious behaviour with ISRO scientists after the elite space org lost touch with Vikram Lander of Chandrayaan-2. She had attempted then to shift the blame to those who were legitimately criticizing his vile conduct.

Vijaita Singh has also spread Fake News about OpIndia.com in the past. Amusingly enough, it was right after The Hindu joined hands with the BBC to combat Fake News.

Heartburn over NRC is because India has never discussed religious privilege

Abhishek Banerjee
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Heartburn over NRC is because India has never discussed religious privilege

The other day Amit Shah arrived to inaugurate a Durga Puja pandal in Kolkata and reiterate the government’s commitment to implement the National Register for Citizens (NRC) in West Bengal.

The declaration set all sorts of tongues wagging. The first point that opponents seized on was the difficulty of producing documents to prove citizenship in a country so poor as India. For what it’s worth, poverty is not actually a natural calamity; it’s not like an earthquake nor a volcano. If a place is poor, there are ways for it to get rich. Observe how those who have advocated economic policies for 70 years that maximized poverty in West Bengal are also most vocal in asking how NRC can be implemented in the backdrop of widespread poverty. Clever of them to think of benefiting from West Bengal’s poverty both coming and going.

The second point that opponents seized upon is this: The NRC will obviously be accompanied by Citizenship Amendment Bill which will give immunity to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, etc, but not to Muslims. Is it not unfair to genuine Muslim citizens of India? Does it not violate the right to equality of all citizens?

No, it does not. The government treats people differently according to their circumstances all the time. A person who earns above Rs 5 crore in a year will pay a lot of their taxes in the 42% bracket. A person who earns less than Rs 5 lakh in a year will pay literally nothing in income taxes. Does that violate the right to equality? An ordinary salaried person might be required only to fill up the ITR-1 form at the end of the Financial Year. A salaried person who also invests in stocks would have to fill the much longer and much more onerous  ITR-2 form. Is that discrimination?

The whole issue of infiltration and NRC has to do with the Partition of India. Nobody can deny that the partition of India happened on religious lines. And when this partition happened, Muslims had a choice. They could choose to settle either in India or Pakistan. Hindus had no choice.

As with income taxes, the more fortunate end up paying more. Those who own many homes, many businesses and make a lot of income must pay more tax and fill in more forms. Those who earn less than 5 lakh pay nothing. Those at the bottom, i.e., the ones making less than 2.5 lakh don’t even have to file an income tax return.

So, yeah, the ancestors of Indian Muslims benefited from a clear advantage in 1947. Perhaps, one small drawback of this advantage is a slightly increased documentary load today. Nobody loves paperwork. But surely no person who earns above 5 crore a year would want to earn less than 2.5 lakh just for the joy of not having to file income taxes!

It is for Indian Muslim citizens to understand the privilege they have been born with. And acknowledge it in full. To understand what Indian Hindus have been through. It is no picnic to be made to pay a jazia tax for hundreds of years just so you can breathe. It is no picnic to be thrown out of the land where your ancestors have lived for one thousand years. Check the percentage of Hindus in Pakistan at the time of 1947 and check the percentage now.

That’s the key here: Privilege.

Even as we speak, the Supreme Court has restored the old SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. If you read the law, it is clear that it is weighted heavily in favor of members of SC/ST communities. But it has been established clearly that the benefits of such a law outweigh the dangers from potential misuse. Just like the continued benefits of reservation to backward communities outweigh any perceived “discrimination” against forward caste students and/or job applicants.

The more fortunate, who have benefited from privilege over centuries, might have to face a bit more documentary burden today during NRC. It’s really nothing worth complaining about. Would you exchange this bit of extra paperwork burden for 1000 years of oppression that Hindus have faced? I doubt it.

The heartburn over NRC and Citizenship Amendment Bill is simply due to the fact that we as a nation have never discussed religious privilege. But it is never too late to start. Certain religious groups who have systematically benefited from hierarchies of the past need to become sensitive to the sufferings of others. It won’t harm anybody. It will make us a better country.

UP: Muslim mob stored stones on rooftops, pelted them when Hindu devotees went to install Hanuman idol at temple

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Muslim mob stored stones on rooftops, pelted them when Hindu devotees went to install Hanuman idol at temple

In a shocking incident, a Muslim mob resorted to stone-pelting against Hindu devotees, who were taking out a procession to a local temple to replace the broken Hanuman idol. The incident took place at Vishnoiwala village of Bijnor, Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. Seven people have been injured in the violent attack.

According to the reports, about three months ago, the idol of Hanuman at a temple near Krutonangali Marg was broken by some anti-social elements. However, the villagers had not complained about the incident then.

On Tuesday, the villagers of Vishnoiwala had arranged for a procession carrying the new Hanuman idol to the temple premises. Hundreds of devotees of Vishnoiwala led by Anil Kumar, Samar Singh, Mukesh Kumar were on their way to install the idol at the old temple.

According to the reports, a Muslim mob led by Shakeel, Salim, Tahir and many others allegedly blocked the Hindu devotees and objected to the installation of new idol. However, the Hindu devotees proceeded after explaining to them. The Muslim mob were allegedly upset over the procession and began to pelt stones at Hindus, injuring at least seven devotees, including Mangal, Yashveer Singh, Bhudev Singh, Satish Kumar, Narendra Kumar. During the attack, the statue was also damaged.

The police officials reached the spot immediately on receiving the information. Inspector Sanjay Kumar and CO Nagina Archana Singh reached the spot to calm down the situation. Soon, BJP leader Anoop Valmiki and Hindu Yuva Vahini also reached the spot along with his supporters. The Hindu organizations and villagers expressed strong opposition to the incident.

Reportedly, the police also brought the new idol with the help of villagers and assured that it will be installed.

The police soon began their search to nab the culprits. However, the Muslim mob which had pelted stones escaped fearing arrest. The police have registered a case against 18 people and also taken 10 people, including three women into the custody.


Sagir Ahmed, Naeem, Saddik Ahmed, Riaz Ahmed, Irfan Ahmed, Asghar, Shabana, Naima and Shama have been identified as the arrested in the stone-pelting case.

Shockingly, as per the Jagran report, the police investigation has found that the stone pelting was planned beforehand. Heaps of stones and bricks were found stored in rooftops of the people in the area.

In April, a group of Muslim men had reportedly shot at three Dalit men over an argument between the two groups. In July this year, the Uttar Pradesh Police had recovered a huge cache of illegal weapons from a madarsa in Bijnor. The police had said that they had received information that some anti-social elements visited the madarsa regularly.

In an earlier incident, two Muslim youths were arrested in August by the UP Police after they vandalised the Goddess Bhavani idol in Bijnor after entering temple pretending to be Hindus.

SP leader Firoz Khan weeps like a banshee before Mahatma Gandhi statue, mourns his death on his birth anniversary

Nirwa Mehta
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SP leader Firoz Khan weeps like a banshee before Mahatma Gandhi statue, mourns his death on his birth anniversary

In a video which has gone viral on social media, Samajwadi Party leader Firoz Khan was seen weeping bitterly at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi on 2nd October, Gandhiji’s 150th birth anniversary.


At one point, taking a break from weeping, he even looked up to the statue and ‘talked’ to Bapu. “Desh ko anath karake, humein chhod gaye. Anath banake chale gaye aap. Itna bada desh humein azaad kara diya. Lekin humari tamanna jo thi sab khatam hoti jaa rahi hai, sab bekar hote jaa raha hai. Bapu aap kahan chale gaye? Itni badi uplabdhi de ke kahan chale gaye? Itna bada desh humein azaad kar ke, humare bachho ke liye… Aap kahan chale gaye? (You orphaned the country… Why did you leave us? You gave us independence and then orphaned us? Why did you leave us?)” he says even as his sidekick continues to wail.

In what appears to be a scene straight out of Bollywood film Lage Raho Munnabhai, Khan, even has his ‘Circuit’ who was also mourning Mahatma Gandhi’s death on his 150th birth anniversary. He even gives echo sound effect when Khan ‘talks’ to Bapu. The other supporters are unperturbed by what is happening and appear like the ‘extras’ in the 70s film who would gather around to have a look at the hero.

At one point, one of the assistants notices the camera recording the performance and without any regard for the scene unfolding in front of him, smiles at the camera. ‘Circuit’ also periodically looks into the camera to see if he is still in the frame before continuing to cry. The Oscar-worthy performance justifiably does not focus on the Gandhi statue as who knows, even he may be weeping from above.

Khan’s performance reminded me of the legendary crying selfie sequence ex-AAP MLA Alka Lamba posted on Twitter while mourning for kids in Syria last year.


Lamba had taken selfies while crying when she was watching plight of Syrian kids on TV and shared it on social media to show how she was mourning.

Firoz Khan, like his namesake Bollywood legend, seems to have a keen interest in dramatics. Earlier this month, after Rampur police imposed section 144, he dressed up as ‘groom’ and workers as ‘baraatis’ to dodge the authorities while trying to meet ‘land mafia’ Azam Khan to extend support. In a bid to evade being detected by the police, Sambhal president of Samajwadi Party became way too creative. The 37-year-old politician decided to dress up as a groom who was accompanied by his party workers dressed up as ‘baraatis’ to go to Rampur to meet Yadav.

He had also made sexist remarks against his former colleague Jaya Prada ahead of general elections. In a lewd and sexist remark, Khan had said that Jaya Prada would henceforth adorn the evenings of the people of Rampur as part of her campaigning. He said that residents of the district would stay entertained and their evenings will now be colourful as Jaya Prada would be visiting Rampur frequently to campaign for the Lok Sabha elections.

Continuing to deliver filth, Firoz Khan had said that the people of Sambhal, an adjoining district, would also now like to spend their maximum time in Rampur since Jaya Prada would be present there. Firoz Khan further added that people of Rampur are prudent enough to vote for the Samajwadi party but they are also smart enough to make full use of this God-sent opportunity.

Saradha Chit Fund scam: Ex Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar resurfaces, appears before Alipore Court

OpIndia Staff
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Saradha Chit Fund scam: Ex Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar resurfaces, appears before Alipore Court

The former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar who was on the run fearing arrest resurfaced in the public on Thursday as he arrived at Alipore Court after Calcutta High Court granted him anticipatory bail.

According to the reports, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday had granted anticipatory bail to former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar. The former Kolkata police commissioner was on the run fearing an arrest as he is accused of destroying evidence in the Saradha Chit Fund scam when he was heading the probe.

The High Court had ruled out the need for custodial interrogation but had asked him to appear for questioning whenever the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summons him which in turn have to give a 48-hour notice to Kumar.

A bench comprising of justices S Munshi and S Dasgupta stated that if Kumar is arrested in connection with the said case, he will have to be granted bail by an appropriate court on two sureties of Rs 50,000 each.

Rajeev Kumar’s anticipatory bail plea was filed by his wife on September 23, at the Calcutta High Court. It was his the third application for anticipatory bail by Kumar, who is currently posted as the additional director general of the Criminal Investigation Department of Bengal Police by Mamata Banerjee government.

The Supreme Court has already stated that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has in its status report made ‘very very serious’ revelations on the interrogation of former Kolkata Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha chit fund scam. The CBI had claimed that the police under Rajeev Kumar had taken charge of all evidence and documents pertaining to the investigation and a lot of it had disappeared.

The Saradha scam broke out into the open in 2013 when a Ponzi scheme run by the Saradha Group, a consortium of over 200 private companies, collapsed after collecting hundreds and thousands of crores from over 15 lakh investors.

Senior politicians of the Trinamool Congress have been alleged to be involved in the scam ever since the CBI initiated its investigation. In December 2014, state transport and sports minister, Madan Mitra, was arrested by the central investigative agency in connection with the scam. Mitra was accused of criminal conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation.

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