Sushmita Roy, wife of Sumit Roy, an executive assistant to Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, has approached the Calcutta High Court alleging physical and mental torture of her husband in police custody and seeking an independent investigation into the recovery of over ₹1 crore from a party office in Diamond Harbour.
In her petition, Sushmita has alleged that the police are attempting to implicate her husband in a false case and are subjecting him to sustained physical and mental harassment to extract a fabricated confession. She has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the entire episode or, alternatively, the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) under the supervision of a retired High Court judge.
She has also requested the court to ensure her husband's safety and remove the police officers allegedly involved in the investigation from the case.
The petition was filed before the Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Partha Sarathi Chatterjee. The matter is scheduled to be heard on Tuesday, November 10.
Wife denies Sumit's connection to cash recovered from party office
The petition challenges the police's claim that information provided by Sumit during interrogation led investigators to a large amount of cash at a Trinamool Congress office in Sarisha, Diamond Harbour.
On November 4, the Diamond Harbour Police recovered ₹1,02,79,000 from the premises, which was identified as an office associated with Magrahat West MLA Shamim Ahmed, who is aligned with the rebel TMC faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee.
Police officials said the recovery followed the interrogation of Sumit, who was already in custody in connection with an alleged land-grabbing case. Investigators are examining the source of the money, why it was kept at the premises and whether other individuals were involved.
However, Sushmita has denied that her husband had any connection with the recovered cash. She has alleged that the entire episode was fabricated to implicate him and that the police were using coercion and physical violence to obtain a confession.
Her petition also seeks the immediate removal of the investigating officers concerned, alleging that their continued involvement could compromise the fairness of the investigation.
Abhishek Banerjee alleges cash was planted by police
The cash seizure has triggered a political confrontation, with Abhishek Banerjee strongly rejecting the police's version of events.
The TMC leader alleged that the recovery was part of a pre-planned exercise to frame his executive assistant and create a controversy around him. He claimed that police personnel transported the cash to the party office in a particular vehicle under the cover of darkness.
Abhishek also claimed to possess CCTV footage of the alleged movement of the money and said it would be presented before the court at an appropriate time.
He further accused the police of threatening Sumit with an encounter and forcing him to sign a seizure list. According to the allegations made by the TMC leadership, Sumit was taken to the premises under pressure and threatened with serious consequences if he did not cooperate.
The party has also disputed the police's description of the premises as an active party office. It has claimed that the building was handed back to its landlord after being vandalised on May 21, following the change of government in West Bengal.
The police, meanwhile, have maintained that the cash recovery followed information obtained during Sumit's interrogation.
Sumit Roy's arrest and ongoing legal battle
Sumit Roy has been facing legal proceedings in connection with an alleged land-grabbing case in Salboni, West Midnapore district.
The Calcutta High Court had earlier rejected his anticipatory bail application. He subsequently approached the Supreme Court, which also declined to grant him anticipatory bail. The state police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested him on September 10, following the Supreme Court's decision.
He was subsequently sent to judicial custody. Earlier this month, Diamond Harbour Police also took him into custody in connection with a separate multi-crore soil-theft case.
Sumit's legal troubles continued when his bail application was taken up by the Calcutta High Court's vacation bench during the Durga Puja holidays. The bench declined to grant him bail and indicated that the matter should be heard by the regular bench after the court reopened on November 16.
The court observed that granting bail at that stage could potentially affect the investigation.
With Sumit continuing to remain in custody, his wife has now approached the High Court seeking protection for him, an independent investigation into the allegations of custodial torture and a probe into the cash recovery controversy.
The hearing scheduled for Tuesday is expected to bring the allegations against the police and the disputed circumstances surrounding the Diamond Harbour cash seizure before the court.