New Delhi, Oct 17: The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed by the CBI challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order that had granted anticipatory bail to West Bengal DGP and former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam.

A Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai and Justice K. Vinod Chandran directed that the contempt of court case—regarding allegations that the state police were interfering with the CBI’s investigation in the Saradha scam—be listed after eight weeks.

In November 2019, the Supreme Court had directed the senior IPS official to respond to the CBI’s appeal challenging the anticipatory bail granted to him. Since then, the petition has remained pending before the apex court. Before this, the Calcutta High Court had granted anticipatory bail to Kumar in connection with the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, observing that custodial interrogation was “not justified” in the given circumstances.

A Bench of Justices Sahidullah Munshi and Subhasis Dasgupta noted that Kumar, who as Commissioner of Bidhannagar Police headed the SIT before the investigation was handed over to the CBI, had already appeared before the Central agency for questioning on multiple occasions.

Rejecting the CBI’s plea for custodial interrogation on the ground of alleged discrepancies in seizure timings and tampering of CDRs, the Calcutta HC held: “We, however, do not justify custodial interrogation merely on this score… in the absence of some other convincing materials. According to our considered view, such discrepancy could be appropriately decided at the time of trial.”

It observed that despite allegations of non-cooperation, Kumar had “consciously offered himself to be interrogated in the interest of ongoing investigation” and there was no “clinching material” necessitating custody. “This is not an appropriate case, when custodial interrogation would be justified,” the Calcutta HC concluded, while granting him anticipatory bail.

The case is linked to an unprecedented confrontation between the Central and West Bengal governments in January 2019, when a CBI team reached Rajeev Kumar’s official residence to question him. However, when local police detained the CBI officers, the team was forced to retreat, prompting Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to launch a sit-in protest in defence of Kumar.

Senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Biswajit Deb, assisted by advocates Anando Mukherjee and Shwetank Singh, represented Rajeev Kumar before the apex court.

Mumbai: Workers of Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) allegedly thrashed a salon owner in Navi Mumbai after he was accused of abusing a woman employee and withholding her salary. A video of the assault, recorded by one of the attackers, has gone viral on social media.

According to reports, the incident took place at a salon in Kamothe, where the woman had been working for several months without receiving her wages. After repeated requests for payment went unanswered, she approached local MNS members for help.

Acting on her complaint, a group of MNS workers arrived at the salon and confronted the owner. The video footage shows several men slapping and punching the man as he begs them to stop. Onlookers can be heard shouting, while the woman who raised the complaint was reportedly present at the scene.

Police officials said that no formal complaint has been filed by either party so far, but they have taken cognizance of the video and are verifying its authenticity. The authorities are also investigating the circumstances that led to the confrontation.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has often found itself in the spotlight for similar incidents. In recent months, MNS workers have been involved in multiple cases of physical assault, particularly those linked to alleged insults against Marathi culture and language.

Earlier this week, another video surfaced showing an MNS worker slapping a woman at a Thane railway station following a heated exchange. The woman had allegedly abused the worker’s husband and made derogatory remarks about Marathi people.

Mumbai: In a fresh appeal ahead of Diwali, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray has called for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and BEST employees to be granted their rightful bonus, which he says has not yet been paid this year despite the festival already beginning. In a tweet in Marathi, he said that this bonus is essential for the employees and their families to celebrate the festival with joy.

Thackeray urged the municipal administration to go beyond last year’s bonus amount and grant a larger sum immediately. He emphasized that while BEST may require financial support, it remains the duty of the BMC to ensure its workers receive their dues.

In addition to this demand, Thackeray also pressed for reduced fare hikes for BEST services, suggesting that the civic body absorb certain costs to keep ticket prices affordable for ordinary Mumbaikars. He proposed an expansion of the BEST fleet and better public transport options as a real Diwali gift for the city’s residents.

His tweet comes amid growing frustration among municipal and transport workers over delays in bonus and salary payments. In the past, Thackeray has strongly opposed late or inadequate bonuses for civic employees. He had previously criticised the state government’s delay in announcing the Diwali bonus, which led to public pressure and a belated announcement.

Earlier, the Chief Minister had announced a bonus of ₹26,000 for BMC employees after engaging with worker unions. Thackeray had questioned whether the announcement would translate into real payments in employees’ accounts, noting that promises alone are not sufficient.

With the festive season underway, Thackeray’s public demand places pressure on civic authorities to act swiftly. If the BMC and BEST respond in time, employees and their families may yet welcome Diwali with some financial relief and hope.