Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, appeared before the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Bhawani Bhawan on Saturday for questioning in connection with a land scam case in Salboni.
Roy was directed to appear at the CID headquarters between 10 am and 6 pm. He reached the office at 9:54 am, six minutes ahead of the scheduled reporting time.
The development came a day after CID officials visited Roy’s residence on Canal Road to serve him a notice. He was reportedly not present at the house when investigators arrived. On Friday, a team also visited his New Alipore residence and served another notice directing him to appear before the investigating officers.
Roy had been facing multiple FIRs in connection with different cases, following allegations of irregularities and his alleged involvement in a land-related case registered at Salboni police station in West Midnapore district. Investigators had reportedly been trying to trace him for some time.
The investigation had earlier intensified after police teams visited a residence associated with Roy in Kalighat in search of him. It was alleged that investigators broke open the door and lock of the house during a late-night search but could not find him.
Roy subsequently approached the Calcutta High Court seeking legal protection. In a separate case relating to alleged job-related corruption, the High Court granted him temporary relief and directed him to appear before investigators within 10 days while cooperating fully with the probe.
However, his anticipatory bail plea in the Salboni land scam case was rejected by the lower court as well as the High Court. Roy then approached the Supreme Court challenging the High Court's order.
The Supreme Court subsequently granted him interim protection from arrest and coercive action pending the next hearing, while directing him to cooperate with the investigation.
Following the Supreme Court's intervention, the CID intensified its efforts to question Roy. Investigators visited his New Alipore residence on Friday to serve the notice requiring him to appear at Bhawani Bhawan on Saturday.
Roy's appearance before the CID marks a significant development in the ongoing investigation, although his legal troubles are not over yet. Two other separate cases remain pending against him.
Roy had approached the High Court seeking anticipatory protection in those cases as well, with his lawyers requesting an urgent hearing. On Friday, however, a single bench of Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya rejected the plea for an urgent hearing, observing that the matters would be taken up in the regular course according to the scheduled list of business.
With Roy now appearing before the CID, investigators are expected to question him about the allegations surrounding the Salboni land case and other matters linked to the ongoing probes.
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