The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed that prayer for an interim order for investigation by any central agency into the chit fund scam would be considered at an appropriate stage, while fixing June 5 for hearing of the PILs seeking a CBI probe.
A division bench comprising Justice A K Banerjee and Justice M K Chaudhuri, taking up the PILs, observed that stage has not come for passing an order on the prayer for a CBI investigation and that a decision would be taken after purusing all pleadings. On a prayer for interim order by one of the petitioners for a direction to any central agency to initiate investigation into the scam, the bench, while not rejecting the prayer, said the matter was in a very early stage of hearing and would be considered at an appropriate stage.
The bench ordered that paperbook in the matter be prepared by April 23 and directed that any one else intending to implead himself in the matter would have to do so by this date. The court also directed the Bidhannagar Police, which is investigating the case, to provide all papers to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) as may be necessary and directed it to show the case diary to the central authority.
Appearing for the Union of India, counsel Bhaskar Baishya submitted that the ED wanted to investigate the Saradha group issue under the Money Laundering Act as there have been several allegations of misuse of funds collected by it.
Baishya claimed before the court that the Bidhannagar Police, which is investigating the case and has the custody of Saradha group chairman Sudipta Sen, has not been cooperating with the ED and has refused to show documents relating to the cases. The matter would be taken up for hearing on June 5, after the court reopens following the summer holidays starting from Saturday.
The hearing of the PILs seeking CBI probe into the scam was taken up by the bench comprising Justice A K Banerjee and Justice M K Chaudhuri after the bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi released the matter.
Counsel Subroto Mukhopadhyay had yesterday prayed that the matter be released as the Chief Justice was to be out of station on Thursday, claiming that urgent hearing in the matter was necessary.
