Anticipatory Bail Approved for Sumit Roy Amid Recruitment Fraud Probe

The high court in Kolkata has approved an anticipatory bail petition filed by Sumit Roy, the aide of Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee, over the recruitment fraud controversy. The ruling came from a solo bench headed by Justice Tirshankar Ghosh, which simultaneously dismissed a similar bail plea concerning a government land grab case.

The court ordered Roy to present himself before the designated investigating officer within ten days and to cooperate with the investigation. Senior Advocate Subhasachi Banerjee, representing Roy, argued that the probe had uncovered no digital exchanges between Roy and the chief accused, Aashik Gazi Imam and Sujay Hazra, nor any signatures of Roy on recruitment or medical documents.

The defence pointed out that the complainants had only linked Roy to the case after three years, reinforcing the principle that any individual who anticipates arrest may seek the protection of anticipatory bail. They further questioned the claim that Roy could have facilitated appointments in return for money, noting the lack of corroborative evidence.

State counsel Additional Advocate General Rajdeep Mazumdar highlighted an unrelated land‑encroachment case that has been pending since 2023, presenting its case diary to the bench. He also referenced bank transaction evidence and witness statements indicating that a portion of the alleged job‑placement fees was routed through the accused.

Consequently, the court granted anticipatory bail in the recruitment scam while refusing the same relief in the land‑encroachment matter, citing the necessity of custodial interrogation for the latter.