Kolkata, June 15: Following the issuance of an arrest warrant by a court in West Bengal‘s West Medinipur district, Sumit Roy, the executive assistant to Trinamool Congress General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, has filed for anticipatory bail in the Calcutta High Court through his lawyer.
Currently evading arrest, Roy is being sought by the Salboni police station in connection with a case involving land grabbing in the same district.
Recently, the police arrested Sujoy Hazra, a former MLA from the Medinipur assembly constituency, in a corruption case related to land. He remains in police custody. However, it is unclear whether Sumit Roy is involved in this case.
On Monday, Roy’s lawyer, Sabyasachi Bandopadhyay, presented the anticipatory bail petition before Justice Jay Sengupta’s single-judge bench. The bench has allowed the petition to be filed, but the request for a fast-track hearing has not yet been accepted. It remains uncertain when the first hearing of the case will take place.
A significant faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which blames Abhishek Banerjee for the party’s recent electoral defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections, has accused Sumit Roy of being a crucial link in all corruption-related cases involving his boss.
Suspended TMC spokesperson Riju Dutta stated to the media that Roy’s arrest could have serious implications for several senior leaders within the party. Dutta also expressed concerns for Roy’s safety under the current circumstances.
Recently, a joint team from the Salboni police station, Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), and Kolkata police conducted an extensive search operation at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence on Kalighat Road in South Kolkata while searching for Roy. It has been reported that the operation was initiated after tracking Roy’s mobile phone in that area.
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