High Court rejects bail application of former ED officer

The Calcutta High Court today rejected the anticipatory bail application of former Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer Manoj Kumar in connection with a case of alleged extortion.
A division bench comprising Justice Nadira Patheriya and Justice D P Dey rejected the anticipatory bail prayer of Kumar, who apprehended arrest in connection with a case of alleged extortion of one Kamal Somani.
Opposing the anticipatory bail prayer, prosecution counsels submitted that a string of allegations of extortion existed against Kumar, during his tenure in the ED, which need to be investigated.
Kumar's counsels stated that the allegations were false and that he was being framed.

Kumar has been charged under sections 384 (extortion), 120B (criminal conspiracy)of IPC and Sections 7 and 12 of Prevention of Corruption Act.
Chartered Accountant Somani had filed a case of extortion at Shakespeare Sarani police station of Kolkata Police alleging that money had been extorted from him following raids led by Kumar at his firm.
The ED had removed Kumar after the Kolkata police found closed-circuit television footage which purportedly showed him with the wife of Rose Valley Group head Gautam Kundu.
Rose Valley, whose operations were spread over several states, is being probed by the ED under the PMLA Act and the investigation was being handled here by Kumar before his removal.