Saradha scam: CBI names Madan Mitra, others in charge sheet

The CBI Wednesday filed a supplementary charge sheet naming arrested West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra among other accused in the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam.

Filed before the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (Alipore) Haradhan Mukherjee , the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has charged Mitra, suspended Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Kunal Ghosh, former Trinamool MP Srinjoy Bose and Naresh Balodia with criminal conspiracy, cheating, criminal breach of trust besides under the Prize Chits and Money Circulation (Banning) Act.

The CBI has also named three companies - Strategy Media, Sangbad Pratidin and Bengal Media - in the charge sheet.

Except Bose, all others including Balodia, the legal advisor of now jailed Saradha boss and scam kingpin Sudipta Sen, are behind bars.

Bose, the editor of Sangbad Pratidin was granted bail by a court earlier in the moth after spending over 70 days behind bars. Subsequent to his bail, he announced resigning both from the Trinamool and as a Rajya Sabha member.

Taking over the probe following a Supreme Court order in May last year, the CBI had submitted its first charge sheet Oct 22 last year before a city sessions court. It then followed up with an additional charge sheet Nov 17 filed before the Alipore court.

Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate which too is probing the scam, questioned Khyati Sadana, an aide of former union minister Matang Sinh who was earlier arrested by the CBI.

"I was called by the ED to submit some documents concerning Sinh," said Sadana who was grilled by the agency for nearly 2 hours.

Sinh is the first former union minister to be arrested in the case