Supreme Court Denies Bail, PA Arrested in Land Scam Case

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee, paving the way for his arrest in connection with the alleged Salboni land scam. The West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested Roy shortly after the Supreme Court ruling, with officials stating he was taken into custody from Banerjee's Kalighat residence. The investigation centers on allegations of illegal government land transfers and the use of forged documents in Salboni. The state government informed the Supreme Court that approximately Rs 15 crore, including a Rs 71 lakh deposit made in June, had moved through accounts associated with Roy. The state argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the origin of these funds and their potential link to the alleged scam. During the Supreme Court hearings, the state government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, contended that Roy had been evasive and insufficiently cooperative during questioning. Transcripts and interrogation records were presented to the court to support these claims.