VIJAY DEO JHA
Ranchi, Aug 20: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has finally succeeded in bringing Jharkhand High Court advocate Rajiv Kumar from Kolkata to Ranchi for questioning in police custody in the extortion case.
Now, the ED is set to take him to Ranchi as Bankshall Street on Saturday granted ED permission to take him to Ranchi after a prolonged hearing. Bengal police raised objections.
ED secured his eight days police remand from the special PMLA court in Ranchi. Rajiv Kumar is lodged at Alipur Jail after Kolkata police arrested him on July 31 for extorting money from Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal. Kolkata police claimed that Rajiv Kumar was arrested along with Rs 50 Lakh cash which he had allegedly extorted from Amit Agrawal for giving relief in a PIL 4290/21. This PIL was filed by Shiv Shankar Sharma who alleged Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren laundered unaccounted money through various shell companies. Certain allegations were made against Amit Agrawal, who, however, is not the respondent. Rajiv Kumar is the advocate of the petitioner.
When ED approached the court of special judge of Bankshall Street on Saturday to take him to Ranchi, the Bengal police also filed a petition and said that it requires Rajiv Kumar in Kolkata only as his voice sample is required for the investigation. The Bengal police said that it wants to take his voice sample on August 24.
The Bengal police vehemently opposed the prayer of the ED to take Rajiv Kumar to Ranchi for his questioning. It stated that it would hamper the investigation.
The ED objected to the objections raised by the Bengal police. The ED alleged Bengal police for deliberately creating hurdles to stop the production of Rajiv Kumar in the custody of the ED so that truth doesn’t come out.
The special PMLA court in Ranchi granted permission to ED to question him in police remand for eight days starting from August 20. A team of ED officials from the Ranchi zonal office went to Kolkata to bring Rajiv Kumar to Ranchi to question him as per the court order.
