Calcutta, April 26: Trinamul Congress MP Kunal Ghosh has offered to resign from the Rajya Sabha if investigations establish links between him and the financial operations of the Saradha Group.
The offer was made in a letter to Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. Some of Ghosh’s party colleagues had demanded his resignation for his association with the Saradha Group.
The conditional offer from Ghosh -- who has said he has no connection with the default crisis -- came within 24 hours of a criminal case being lodged against him in Park Street police station by a section of employees of Channel 10, a Saradha Group company.
The complaint was lodged against seven officials of the news channel — including Ghosh, the executive chairman-cum-CEO of Bengal Media Private Limited, and Sudipta Sen, managing director of Bengal Media Private Limited. The charges carry a maximum punishment of seven years in jail.
Of the six charges levelled against him, two are non-bailable, indicating that if arrested, Ghosh will have to seek bail from a court. Senior city lawyers said though “arrest is not mandatory”, seeking an anticipatory bail is the “only option” left before Ghosh, once known for his proximity with the chief minister, as a safeguard.
“This is a very sensitive case. Though starting a case does not mean that the accused person has to be arrested, but since the ringmaster of the scam has been arrested, further arrests cannot be ruled out,” said a criminal lawyer. Police said all the persons against whom they have received complaint, will be examined.
“We have started a case against Sudipta Sen, Kunal Ghosh, Somnath Dutta and five others based on the complaint lodged by Ritam Das of Channel 10 and 21 others. We will proceed according to the need of the investigation,” said Pallab Kanti Ghosh, joint commissioner (crime).
According to the complaint, Ghosh and other members of the channel administration against whom the complaint has been lodged, played an “active role” in propagating Saradha Group’s fiscal schemes using the resources meant for Channel 10.
“If someone tried to protest, he or she was either threatened to be terminated or with physical harm,” said an employee of the news channel.
