Supreme Court Grants Interim Protection to Abhishek Banerjee’s Aide in Salboni Land Case

The Supreme Court on Thursday granted interim protection from arrest to Sumit Roy, a close aide and personal assistant to Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee, in connection with the alleged Salboni land-grabbing case in West Bengal. The relief came after Roy challenged a Calcutta High Court order that had denied him anticipatory bail.

A Bench of the apex court directed that Roy should not be arrested for the time being, subject to his full cooperation with the ongoing investigation. The court also laid down specific conditions, requiring him to appear before the investigating agency whenever summoned and assist the probe without obstruction.

The Bench clarified that Roy must remain available for questioning during designated hours and should not be accompanied by lawyers, family members or political associates during the interrogation. The court made it clear that the interim protection would remain in force only if he complied with these directions and extended complete cooperation to the investigators.

The case pertains to allegations of illegal land acquisition and fraud in Salboni in West Bengal’s Paschim Medinipur district. According to investigators, the case involves claims of land grabbing, cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy linked to disputed property transactions. The investigation is being conducted under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code dealing with fraud, forgery, criminal breach of trust and conspiracy.

Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had rejected Roy’s plea for anticipatory bail, observing that the investigating agency had placed sufficient material on record warranting further investigation. Following the High Court’s decision, Roy approached the Supreme Court seeking relief. His counsel argued that custodial interrogation was not necessary and requested protection from arrest while the investigation continued.