HC directs West Bengal to produce documents regarding Saradha scam probe panel

Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has directed West Bengal government to produce documents relating to the Justice (retd) Shyamal Sen Commission that was set up by it to probe the Saradha chit fund scam and to repay investors.

Acting on a PIL seeking a probe into the undisbursed amount by the Commission as it had been wound up before completing its job, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi directed the state to produce all documents before it on October five when the matter would be heard again.

Petitioner Subir Dey claimed that West Bengal government, after setting up the Commission in April 2013, had earmarked a corpus of Rs 500 crore for repaying investors. It was, however, wound up in October 2014 without having completed its task and had not been able to disburse all the funds allocated to it, the petitioner claimed.

Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Bikash Bhattacharya submitted before the bench that an investigation be ordered into the amount left undisbursed. The Saradha chit fund scam involved nearly Rs 2,500 crore and spanned several states including West Bengal, Assam and Tripura.

CBI is probing the scam on an order by the Supreme Court.

I