A day after he was released on conditional bail in the Saradha scam case, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Srinjoy Bose has resigned from the primary membership of the party on Thursday.
Bose has sent his resignation to party Chief Mamata Banerjee and has also resigned as Member of Parliament.
Bose was granted bail by the court after imposing three conditions that he would not leave the country, he would not threaten witnesses and he would respond to CBI’s summons, whenever served.
CBI sources later said that the agency would challenge the conditional bail granted by the Alipore District and Sessions judge as bail granted to Bose under Section 420 of IPC is not tenable since he had been slapped with charges under Sections 409 of IPC as well.
Bose, the editor of Trinamool mouthpiece Jago Bangla and Bengali newspaper Sambad Pratidin, was arrested Nov 21 by the CBI for alleged criminal conspiracy, misappropriation of funds and deriving undue financial benefits in connection with the scam.
The assistant general secretary of city soccer giants Mohun Bagan, Bose is the first senior Trinamool leader to be granted bail in the scam.
Sports and Transport Minister Madan Mitra and former director general of police Rajat Majumdar – both important Trinamool leaders – are still behind bars. Suspended Trinamool Rajya Sabha member Kunal Ghosh is also in jail.
Bose was accused of ‘blackmail’ by purported scam kingpin and Saradha Group promoter Sudipta Sen in a latter he is supposed to have written to the CBI in April 2013.
In the letter, Sen claimed he entered the media business after the Bengali daily started attacking him.
Sen, now under arrest along with his top aides, said that after he purchased a television channel, Bose and Kunal Ghosh came to him and he had to make arrangements for paying Rs. 60 lakh per month to the newspaper for running the channel.
Sen also claimed that the duo promised to ensure a “smooth passage” for him and protect his business from the state and central governments and assured him “they have very close connections” with the chief minister.
Sen in his letter also alleged that over two years, the paper had taken Rs. 20 crore from him for running the channel.
