The Orissa High Court on Friday granted conditional bail to Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandopadhyay, who was arrested by the CBI from Kolkata on January 3 this year for his alleged involvement in the Rose Valley Group chit fund scam.
Justice J.P. Das allowed Mr. Bandopadhyay to go on bail after depositing ₹25 lakh in a nationalised bank. The HC also asked him to furnish bail bonds of two sureties of ₹50,000 each.
Mr. Bandopadhyay had approached the High Court in February seeking regular bail on health grounds after his bail applications were rejected by two courts.
The CBI had also arrested another Trinamool MP, Tapas Pal, for his alleged involvement in the scam. The agency had accused Rose Valley chairman Gautam Kundu and three others of defrauding investors from across the country of more than ₹17,000 crore.
Mamata elated
Kolkata Special Correspondent reports:
Trinamool chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday welcomed the bail. She said four-and-a-half months in custody had taken a toll on Mr. Bandopadhyay’s health. “He was very ill and had lost 25-30 kg. I want him to take rest and take care of his health,” she told journalists.
