Trimool's Majumdar gets bail in Saradha scam case

Kolkata, February 16: The Calcutta High Court on Monday granted bail to Rajat Majumdar, the first Trimool Congress leader to be arrested in the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam. Majumdar, a former IPS officer, was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and has been behind bars since September 9, 2014. The former director general of the West Bengal Armed Police was granted bail on Monday by the bench of Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice Indrajit Chatterjee. Pressing for his bail, Majumdar’s counsel contended that the CBI was yet to provide any evidence to prove his involvement in the scam, but the CBI counsel opposed the plea on the grounds that Majumdar was an influential person and could tamper with the evidence. The court, however, accepted the Trimool leader’s bail plea subject to certain conditions.

“He has been granted conditiol bail on furnishing sureties of Rs.1 lakh. He has been directed by the court not to leave Kolkata and North 24 Pargas district,” said Majumdar’s counsel Milon Mukherjee. “He also has been asked to appear before the investigating agency once every week,” he added. Majumdar is the second Trimool leader after Srinjoy Bose to get relief. Bose, a former Rajya Sabha member, was granted bail Feb 4 after spending 75 days behind bars. He subsequently resigned both from Trimool Congress party and parliament.

Arrested on charges on grounds of conspiracy, cheating and misappropriation of funds, Majumdar has been med by the CBI in its charge sheet filed on November 17. Besides working as a security advisor for the tainted Saradha Group after retirement, he joined the Trimool and served as the party’s poll observer for Birbhum district for the 2013 panchayat elections. His me cropped up after suspended Trimool Rajya Sabha member Kul Ghosh, now behind bars, accused him of swindling crores of rupees in organising a cultural programme in Las Vegas (US) in 2012. (IANS)