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regular-article-logo Wednesday, 08 May 2024

Bail for Govind Agarwal; police call IRS officer

The city court cited the 'rumoured' CA's multiple health complications and instructed him not to leave his South Calcutta home till the next hearing

Monalisa Chaudhuri Calcutta Published 25.11.20, 03:40 AM
Govind Agarwal

Govind Agarwal File picture

A city court on Tuesday granted accounting firm owner Govind Agarwal interim bail, considering his multiple health complications with a condition that he cannot leave his south Calcutta home till the next hearing.

Agarwal was arrested early on Sunday in connection with a corruption case against an income-tax officer.

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Agarwal’s lawyer said his client was suffering from “critical, life-threatening” kidney and liver diseases, along with oral cancer, and was in need of daily medical care.

The court, while granting interim bail, directed Agarwal to “cooperate” with the police and make himself available every time the investigating officer of the case wanted to examine him at his home.

Agarwal appeared in the Bankshal court on Tuesday afternoon as his case was being heard.

“The magistrate asked my client to sit on the bench after hearing my submission about his health. My client has been granted interim bail against a bond of Rs 20,000. He will comply with all the conditions mentioned by the court,” said Agarwal’s lawyer Biplab Goswami.

Calcutta police on Tuesday issued summons to a senior IRS officer based in Calcutta in connection with the case in which IRS officer Neeraj Singh is the prime accused and Agarwal a co-accused.

“The IRS officer (who was issued summons during the day) has been asked to be present at the Calcutta police headquarters on November 27. A notice under Section 160 of the CrPC was served at his office,” a senior officer said.

The officer, when contacted, said he was unwilling to comment on the matter. “I am not giving you any reaction. I am neither confirming nor denying (having received the notice). It may sound rude, but I am disconnecting the line,” he said.

Earlier this month, Calcutta police had summoned Singh, now suspended, in connection with this case, but he expressed inability to turn up citing medical grounds, sources said.

An investigator said some documents seized from a suspect’s office resembled original files of the income tax department and bore purported signatures of senior tax department officials.

The police are yet to ascertain how the purported IT papers reached the office.

Sources in the business fraternity said one suspect was a well-known face in the income tax department, who would broker deals, especially with those whose houses had been raided by tax officials or had been summoned by the tax department.

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