CJI Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, Justice V. Mohana, Supreme Court
Supreme Court Denies Pre-Arrest Bail To Abhishek Banerjee's PA Sumit Roy In Land Fraud Case
|The case was registered under penal provisions relating to cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, use of forged documents and criminal conspiracy.
The Supreme Court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Sumit Roy, personal assistant to TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, in the Salboni land scam case where West Bengal government land was allegedly sold and the sale proceeds deposited in the party's account.
Previously, the Court had stayed the arrest of Roy.
Roy filed a Special Leave Petition assailing the order passed by the Calcutta High Court dismissing his anticipatory bail application in connection with Salboni Police Station Case No. 133 of 2026 under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 472, 473, 406, 409 and 120B of the Indian Penal Code.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana also vacated its earlier order of August 6, by which it had stayed the arrest of Roy.
The prime contention of the de facto complainant was that he was duped of a sum of Rs. 10 lakhs on the promise of providing a piece of land. Thereafter, he came to know that this was a conspiracy organized by certain individuals including a co-accused namely, Sujoy Hazra. However, in the FIR, the present petitioner has not been named. But, the police are now looking for the present petitioner at different places in connection with the present case.
Consequently, Roy can now be arrested for custodial interrogation in the case.
The bench heard the submissions of Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Roy, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, before declining relief to the accused.
The Calcutta High Court had also refused an urgent hearing on Roy's plea seeking protection from coercive action in connection with some cases registered against him.
On August 3, the Calcutta High Court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Roy in connection with the alleged government land fraud case being investigated by Salboni police.
The Solicitor General had strongly opposed the grant of interim relief, saying Roy's custodial interrogation was necessary.
The High Court bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh had declined to grant pre-arrest bail in the case.
The state counsel had told the High Court that the investigation had unearthed forged title deeds relating to government land.
The prosecution alleged that government land had been transferred with the complicity of local political leaders and influential persons.
Cause Title: Sumit Roy v. State of West Bengal [Diary No. 46817/2026]
[With PTI Inputs]