West Bengal

IIE Digital Desk: The Calcutta High Court has denied the anticipatory bail request of Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Abhishek Banerjee, in relation to the alleged Salboni land grab case. Justice Tirthankar Ghosh, who said the order came after 'this is clearly an early stage in our investigation'. 

Roy had sought protection from being arrested in two separate criminal cases registered in West Midnapore district through his appeal to the High Court. The first case involves allegations of illegal land grabbing at Salboni Police Station, while the second case is related to an alleged scam that was registered at Debra Police station. Roy was granted anticipatory bail in a separate job scam case, while the court denied relief in the land case.

During the hearing, Roy's legal team maintained that his client had been unjustly accused and that investigators did not have enough substantial evidence to link him to the alleged crimes. The state government contested the plea, stating that the inquiry had revealed significant information and that custodial interrogation may be warranted. The state's submissions were accepted by the court, which also denied anticipatory bail in the land grab matter. The transactions were made possible by the creation of phony ownership records, as stated by investigators. During the investigation, Sujoy Hazra was arrested and named in the case, having previously been affiliated with TMC. The charges against Roy are entirely untrue.

In the past few months, the case has garnered significant political attention. Roy's phone was allegedly traced to Abhishek Banerjee' house in Kolkata, prompting police and central forces to conduct high-profile searches in June. Roy was not found during the operation, and investigators have stated that he is suspected of absconding in relation to the case.

Roy's land grab case investigation is likely to continue without any legal protection from arrest, as the High Court has refused anticipatory bail. He receives partial relief in the other job scam case, which is akin to the difference between the two investigations. The court has granted him anticipatory bail.