File image of Sumit Roy, personal assistant to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee.
| Photo Credit: PTI
The West Bengal government on Wednesday (September 9, 2026) told the Supreme Court that custodial interrogation of Sumit Roy, personal secretary of TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, was needed in the Salboni land grab case as huge amount of cash was deposited by him in a bank.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the State, told a bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V, Mohana that Roy was evasive during the investigation.
“I have placed on record the transcripts. There is a detailed investigation and he has been evasive,” Mehta told the bench.
The Supreme Court is hearing Mr. Roy’s plea challenging a August 3 order of the Calcutta High Court denying him pre-arrest bail in the Salboni case.
While hearing the matter on August 31, the Supreme Court had directed the probe agency to produce the relevant record regarding confronting the petitioner with the alleged bank transactions. It had also extended Mr. Roy’s interim protection from arrest.
During the hearing on Wednesday (September 9, 2026), senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Mr. Roy, said that as per news reports, a chargesheet has been filed in the matter.
Mr. Mehta said the chargesheet has been filed against another accused with a specific stipulation that investigation regarding Mr. Roy is continuing.
Contending that the probe agency needed Mr. Roy’s custodial interrogation, Mr. Mehta said as per the investigation, he had deposited huge amount of cash in bank account.
“This may only be a tip of the iceberg,” he said, while referring to deposit of ₹71 lakh.
Arguing that the total amount deposited comes to around ₹15 crore, Mr. Mehta said there were large number of transactions.
“A person who is supposed to be the PA is depositing crores of rupees in his name,” the top law officer said.
The bench asked Mr. Mehta to provide a copy of the report filed in the Court to Mr. Roy’s counsel and posted the matter for hearing on Thursday. On September 7, the Supreme Court permitted the West Bengal government to file a detailed investigation report in a sealed cover in support of its claim that Mr. Roy was not cooperating with the police in the ongoing probe in the case.
Mr. Mehta had told the bench that he wanted to file a “detailed interrogation” report of Mr. Roy.
On August 6, the Supreme Court had stayed Mr. Roy’s arrest in connection with the matter.
Earlier, Shankarnarayanan had said the entire interrogation had been videographed and Mr. Roy had answered all questions put to him.
Correcting an earlier submission that Mr. Roy had exercised his right to remain silent, the senior lawyer had said an additional affidavit filed before the bench showed that Mr. Roy had not invoked the right against self-incrimination and had cooperated fully with the investigation.
He alleged, however, that investigators had largely questioned Roy about his family and the functioning, recruitment and funding of the Trinamool Congress rather than the offence for which he was being investigated.
On August 3, the High Court rejected Mr. Roy’s anticipatory bail plea in the alleged land fraud case being investigated by the police.
The case was registered under penal provisions relating to cheating, criminal breach of trust, forgery, use of forged documents and criminal conspiracy.
Published – September 09, 2026 05:19 pm IST
