Chit fund case: Satisfy us that request for interrogation of Rajeev Kumar is just, SC to CBI

“We have to be satisfied that your request for his interrogation is for just purpose of interrogation, not for political purposes,” the CJI added, and fixed Wednesday to hear the matter again.

The court was responding to Mehta’s plea that Kumar was in-charge of the day-to-day activities of the SIT constituted by the state which probed the cases before the CBI took over. Mehta told the bench it had interrogated Kumar in Shillong as per the orders of the top court but he was “evasive and at times arrogant”.

Seeking his custodial interrogation, the SG said the state police had not handed over the complete call data records of the accused it had obtained from Vodafone. “What he received from service providers he should have handed over truthfully to CBI,” he added.

Mehta also referred to the statement of a woman witness who said that the police had seized a diary containing details of daily transactions done by the accused, and added “but this was never handed over to us”.

The bench asked him whether the agency had questioned Kumar on this. “Yes,” replied Mehta, adding that he said “I have no information, ask the Investigating Officer”.

Asked if the CBI had questioned the investigating officer, the SG said he and other officers had approached the Calcutta High Court against notices issued to them by the agency and court had granted injunction.

He also referred to the alleged harassment faced by the CBI team that went to Kumar’s residence on February 3. The CJI then sought to know why the CBI team had gone to his residence. “To interrogate him,” replied Mehta.

To another query from the CJI, the SG said the team did not have a search warrant.

Mehta also said Kumar had not given satisfactory answers to queries about alleged payments from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to Tara TV, which is part of the Saradha Group of companies.