SC rejects Saradha probe monitor plea ... The petition was filed by investors who had lost money in the deposit default scams

The petition argued that although the Supreme Court had ordered the CBI probe in 2014, there seemed to be little progress in the investigation Picture: Prem Singh

TT, New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a plea for constitution of a committee by the court to monitor ongoing CBI investigations into the Saradha case and other deposit default scams.

The petition was filed by investors who had lost money in the deposit default scams.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna also turned down the request by senior advocate Vikas Singh that the petitioners be allowed to at least approach Calcutta High Court with the plea if the country’s top court was not inclined to appoint the committee.

“…Having heard learned counsel for the applicant and upon perusing the relevant material, we are not inclined to pass any orders for constituting a monitoring committee at this stage. The miscellaneous application is, accordingly, dismissed,” Justice Gogoi CJI said in a written order.

Singh argued that although the Supreme Court had ordered the CBI probe in 2014, there seemed to be little progress in the investigation.

He said the petitioners wanted the Supreme Court to monitor the investigation to ensure that the probe was speeded up and taken to logical conclusion.

The plea for the court-monitored committee was filed at a time the Bengal government and the CBI were on a warpath over the examination of Calcutta police commissioner Rajeev Kumar in the Saradha case.

The Supreme Court had directed the CBI to probe the scams in 2014.