Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, reported to the Criminal Investigation Department headquarters on Saturday morning, bringing an end to a nearly two-month evasion. Roy arrived at the investigative agency’s office five minutes ahead of his 10:00 AM summons, following a fresh notice served at his residence by CID officials on Friday.
Multiple Corruption Allegations
Roy is facing a series of serious criminal accusations, ranging from land and soil misappropriation to employment fraud. Investigations note that at least four distinct cases have been registered against him in Diamond Harbour alone, alongside inquiries concerning soil theft and local service trust disputes.
The initial allegations against Roy stem from a high-profile land corruption case in Salboni, Paschim Medinipur, which previously triggered a police search at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence. Additionally, he faces active charges regarding job scams in Debra.
Legal Battles: High Court to Supreme Court
While maintaining a low profile over the past two months, Roy’s legal representatives have navigated multiple courts seeking protection from arrest.
The Calcutta High Court previously granted him anticipatory bail in one of the pending matters. However, a single bench presided over by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh rejected his anticipatory bail plea in a separate case, noting that statements and evidence gathered from other arrested suspects justified denying relief for that specific charge.
Fearing imminent arrest, Roy approached the Supreme Court of India. The apex court subsequently granted him interim protection by staying his arrest, conditioned on his active cooperation with investigators.
Under the Supreme Court directives, Roy is permitted to be accompanied by legal counsel during questioning, and CID officers are authorized to interrogate him between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM without executing an arrest. Following this legal reprieve, Roy surrendered to the CID summons.