CBI directs Rajeev Kumar to appear before it on Thursday

The special crime branch of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has once again summoned former Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar to appear before it on Thursday in connection with the Saradha chitfund scam case.

"We have asked him to appear before the CBI office here tomorrow," a senior CBI official told PTI.

The central agency has given multiple notices to Kumar, who is currently the Additional Director General in the West Bengal Crime Investigation Department, to appear before it for questioning as a witness in the multi-crore scam.

He, however, did not appear before the CBI and has sought more time on every occasion.

The Saradha group of companies allegedly duped lakhs of people to the tune of Rs 2,500 crore, promising higher rates of return on their investments.

On Kumar being on "leave", the CBI official said there is "no co-relation between responding to our summons or skipping it, whether he is on leave or not".

The CBI has also summoned Kumar for his alleged role in the the multi-crore Rose Valley ponzi scheme case.

Meanwhile, Kumar's anticipatory bail prayer in the Saradha case was heard 'in-camera' by the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday, on a plea by his counsel.

A division bench, comprising justices S Munshi and S Dasgupta, heard the submissions by Kumar's lawyer in support of his pre-arrest bail prayer in the presence of only those advocates who are related to the case.

The matter will be heard again by the bench on Thursday.