PIL filed in HC demanding probe by CBI into Suvendu’s involvement

KOLKATA: A PIL has been filed in High Court requesting it to order the CBI to probe into the alleged involvement of Suvendu Adhikari, leader of Opposition, in the Saradha multi-crore scam.

Ramaprasad Sarkar, an advocate of Calcutta High Court, has filed the petition which is likely to come up for hearing next Monday.

Sudipta Sen, the prime accused, in Saradha money laundering case, had moved a prisoner’s petition before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate alleging that Adhikari had taken money from him worth crores of rupees.

While talking to the press on his way to the court in Salt Lake, Sen further alleged that Adkikari had taken money for settling different cases and used to blackmail him regularly.

Earlier, Trinamool Congress had demanded arrest of Adhikai and a delegation of the party led by state Education minister Bratya basu met the Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar with similar demand.

Earlier, the former Saradha chief had also claimed that even Suvendu’s brothers had taken money from him. Talking to the media outside Bankshall court, Sen alleged that he had given Rs 50 lakh by a draft to Contai municipality for the construction of a multi-storeyed building. He also alleged that he had again deposited Rs 10 lakh, but the plan was not sanctioned.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday directed that a notice by police to Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on a complaint by four MLAs alleging that he threatened them be kept in abeyance till the next date of hearing. Moving a petition seeking quashing of proceedings against Adhikari, his counsel claimed before the court that the MLAs - Krishna Kalyani, Biswajit Das, Tanmoy Ghosh and Somen Roy - were elected on BJP ticket but later switched to the ruling Trinamool Congress violating the law of defection.

Currently, six cases against Subhendu Adhikari are registered in four different police stations across the state.

As per a High Court order no coercive action can be taken against him in any of the cases till further notice.