A dramatic twist has intensified the ongoing Salboni land corruption case, with the state government informing the Supreme Court that approximately Rs 15 crore was deposited into the bank account of Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress All India General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The revelation has raised serious questions about the source and legitimacy of the funds.

During Wednesday’s hearing, the state disclosed that nearly Rs 71 lakh was credited to Roy’s account as recently as June this year. The Solicitor General, Tushar Mehta, described the transactions as “highly suspicious” and emphasized the need for custodial interrogation to uncover the origin of the funds and possible links to the alleged scam.

Sumit Roy, a key accused in the case, had earlier been denied anticipatory bail by the Calcutta High Court. Challenging that decision, he approached the Supreme Court, where the matter was heard by a bench comprising Justices Surya Kant, Joymalya Bagchi, and V. Mohana.

State alleges non-cooperation

The state administration has maintained that Roy failed to cooperate with the investigation. Acting on earlier directions from the apex court, authorities submitted video footage and written records of police interrogation. According to the Solicitor General, these documents reveal that Roy gave evasive and inconsistent responses instead of clear answers.

Senior advocates Gopal Shankar Narayan and Ayan Bhattacharya, representing Roy, sought to counter the claims of non-cooperation. They submitted a counter-affidavit, arguing that their client has been compliant with investigative procedures.

Arrest warrant and interim relief

The case also involves allegations that Roy was engaged in the illegal sale of government land and fabrication of documents in Salboni. A Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court in Midnapore had issued an arrest warrant against him after he failed to respond to police summons.

Despite this, the Supreme Court has granted Roy interim protection, directing him to cooperate with the investigation and appear before authorities between 10 AM and 6 PM.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the Supreme Court bench has scheduled the next hearing for Thursday, where further developments in this high-profile case are expected.

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