VIJAy DEO JHA
Ranchi, Aug 10: The Enforcement Directorate is learnt to have decided to investigate the complaint of Kolkata-based businessman Amit Agrawal against Jharkhand High court advocate Rajiv Kumar.
Notably, in this case the Kolkata police have summoned the Deputy Director of Odisha zonal office of the ED, Subodh Kumar, and asked him to record his statement. Subodh Kumar was earlier posted as deputy director at Ranchi zonal office of the agency. The Kolkata police summoned him on the basis of some of his alleged WhatsApp conversations with Rajiv Kumar. The allegation against Rajiv Kumar is that he along with petitioner Shiv Shankar Sharma files PILs in order to extort money from businessmen and companies.
Well placed sources have hinted that the ECIR of this case may be registered at Ranchi zonal office of the ED. The advocate Rajiv Kumar was arrested on July 31 in Kolkata allegedly along with Rs 50 lakh. The Police said that he was trapped along with the cash which he had extorted from Amit Agrawal in the name of safeguarding him in a PIL 4290/21 against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
The petitioner Shiv Shankar Sharma claimed that the Chief Minister, his family members and associates were indulged in corruption and they laundered their unaccounted money through various shell companies. Amit Agrawal is not the respondent of this PIL but his company Aurora Studio Pvt. Ltd was named in the PIL as a suspected shell company. The petitioner claimed that Amit Agrawal is closely associated with the Chief Minister. However, as a respondent Hemant Soren vehemently denied charges against him. Rajiv Kumar is the advocate of the petitioner.
In a complaint lodged before the Bengal police, Amit Agrawal said that in May he came to know through media and other sources that allegations have been made against his companies being involved in money laundering. He alleged Rajiv Kumar and Shiv Shankar Sharma are hands in glove in filing such PILs against different businessmen and their companies in lieu of huge amounts of money with assurance to settle the issue by managing Judges, court officers and other government agencies.
Amit Agrawal claimed that Rajiv Kumar came to Kolkata on 13th July and met him on this issue. Amit Agrawqal claimed that during their prolonged conversation with Rajiv Kumar he had an argument with him for involving him and his companies in the PIL with such frivolous allegations.
“At last he consented in giving me respite in terms of a huge amount to the tune of 10 crores as bribe to be paid to him for onward payment to different government officials to minimize the issue and later dispose of it. When I disagreed to pay such an amount and accept such a proposal he reduced the amount to Rs One Crore to give me respite by way of minimizing the litigation. I further told that, I am unable to give such huge cash to him and I will not compromise with such illegal terms. On this, he further threatened to ruin my business and told me that I can pay Rs One Crore in two installments of Rs 50 Lakh,” the complaint states.
The Kolkata police booked Rajiv Kumar under section 120 B and section 384 of the IPC.
