Big setback for Abhishek Banerjee as CID arrests aide Sumit Roy

Roy was arrested from Banerjee’s residence in Kalighat following an operation involving a large contingent of police and CID personnel.

Arrest follows Supreme Court order

The arrest came after the Supreme Court rejected Roy’s plea seeking anticipatory bail in the case.

The top court had earlier granted him interim protection from arrest, but that protection was subsequently lifted.

A three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohana heard the matter.

The Supreme Court had earlier stayed Roy’s arrest while directing him to cooperate with the ongoing investigation. The West Bengal government subsequently argued before the court that his custodial interrogation was necessary for the probe.

What is the Salboni land case?

The case relates to allegations of the illegal sale of West Bengal government land in the Salboni area and the alleged routing of proceeds into accounts linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress.

The state had told the Supreme Court that investigators had found a large cash deposit in Roy’s bank account and sought his custodial interrogation as part of the probe. The allegations are under investigation, and Roy’s arrest does not by itself establish guilt.

CID operation at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence

A large police and CID team had surrounded Banerjee’s Kalighat residence before Roy was taken into custody.

Following his arrest, Roy was taken to Bhawani Bhawan, the headquarters of the West Bengal CID, for further proceedings, according to reports.

The development comes amid heightened political attention around the Salboni land case, with the investigation now set to focus on Roy’s alleged role and the financial transactions under scrutiny.