The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday declined to urgently intervene in a plea alleging that the State police forced Sumit Roy, close aide of Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Abhishek Banerjee, to confess that he had stored around ₹1.02 crore seized by the police at the party's former office in Diamond Harbour [Susmita Ghosh v. State of West Bengal and Ors.].
Justice Saugata Bhattacharyya directed that the petition filed by Sumit Roy's wife, Sushmita Ghosh, be listed after the ongoing court vacation.
The Court noted that Ghosh has approached it seeking protection for her husband and expressing apprehension that he might be falsely implicated in the case. It also recorded the State government's submission that the matter was still under investigation.
"State is represented by Mr. Mitra who is the Learned Advocate General who has submitted that husband of the petitioner is already in custody and investigation is going on. In view of the aforesaid, let the matter appear before the regular bench after reopening," the Court said.
Ghosh alleged that her husband, who is currently in police custody, was threatened with a fake encounter to make him confess that he had stored crores of rupees at the premises.
According to the plea, Roy was recently taken to the premises, where he saw police officials arranging and counting bundles of currency notes.
He was then forced to wear a black mask and pose before the cash while the Additional Superintendent of Police (Zonal) addressed a press conference claiming a seizure of the amount, the plea said.
The plea alleged that various criminal proceedings were initiated against Roy only after the change of government in West Bengal on May 4, as part of a political vendetta aimed at targeting TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee.
Ghosh urged the Court to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising independent police officers, under the supervision of a retired Calcutta High Court judge, to investigate allegations of custodial intimidation, fabrication and planting of evidence, and coercion to obtain confessional statements.
Advocate Biswaroop Bhattacharyya appeared for the petitioner.
The State was represented by Advocate General Surojit Nath Mitra.