Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday hailed the Supreme Court judgment directing Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar to appear before CBI in the Saradha scam as a moral victory for the probe agency. He also stressed that there was no need to politicise the issue.
He also said that Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other opposition leaders are silent on the Saradha chit fund scam which was a "huge loot" of the money of small investors.
"Today we have to ask larger questions on behalf of the party. Lakhs of small investors were cheated and looted of their money. Is it not our moral obligation for an investigation? Why is Mamata Banerjee silent on this? Why are the other political parties silent on this?" asked Prasad.
Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge said the BJP-led central government was "settling scores" with the opposition by "misusing" the autonomous bodies.
"The government is settling scores with the opposition after interfering in autonomous bodies. We are fighting against those elements. It is not about an individual, an officer or a party. We are fighting against the government's attempt to discredit autonomous bodies," said Kharge.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar to appear before the CBI, in investigations related to the Saradha chit fund scam.
The bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi also ruled that no coercive step should be taken against Kumar.
The Supreme Court has also issued a contempt notice to the chief secretary of the West Bengal government, the DGP and the police commissioner on a plea for allegedly detaining the CBI probe team.
Rajeev Kumar will now appear before the CBI in Shillong, Meghalaya as a neutral place. The case will now be heard on February 20.
On the other hand, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lauded the Supreme Court verdict as a moral victory.
Addressing the media from her dharna site at Kolkata's Metro Channel, Banerjee said that she and her party TMC have great respect for the judiciary, and today's verdict will boost the morale of the officers.
(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)