Sumit Roy, the absconding Personal Assistant of All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary and Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee, has approached the Supreme Court seeking interim protection from arrest after the Calcutta High Court rejected his anticipatory bail plea in an illegal land-grabbing case on 3 August. Roy remains at large despite an active arrest warrant and a lookout notice issued by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of West Bengal Police.

Background: The Two Cases Against Roy

Roy faces legal jeopardy on two separate fronts. In the first, he is accused of illegally grabbing and selling government-vested land in Salboni, West Midnapore, allegedly using forged documents. In the second, he was granted conditional anticipatory bail by a single-judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh of the Calcutta High Court in a 'cash-for-a-state-government-job' case — but only on the condition that he appear before the investigating officer within 10 days.

The conditional bail in the job case has created a legal bind: if Roy surfaces to comply with the court's direction in the job-related matter, he risks immediate arrest in the land-grabbing case, where no protection exists. It is this exposure that has driven him to the Supreme Court for interim relief.

High Court Rejects Anticipatory Bail in Land Case

Roy had initially approached the Calcutta High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the land-grabbing matter. His counsel also requested an urgent hearing and a change of bench, both of which were denied. The matter was eventually heard by the regular bench of Justice Ghosh, which rejected the anticipatory bail plea outright on 3 August. The dual outcome — protection in one case, none in the other — has left Roy in a precarious legal position.

Police Raids and the Lookout Notice

The West Bengal CID issued a lookout notice against Roy in June. When Roy could not be traced at any of his known addresses, the district court in West Midnapore issued an arrest warrant. On 13 June, officers from the Salboni police station, accompanied by central forces, arrived early in the morning at Abhishek Banerjee's residence in Kalighat, South Kolkata, acting on a lead that Roy's mobile phone had last been detected there. After waiting for a considerable period, the police broke open the lock and entered the premises — but Roy was not found. A simultaneous search at his in-laws' house in Serampore, Hooghly district, also yielded no result.

What Happens Next

The Supreme Court's response to Roy's petition for interim protection will be closely watched, given the political sensitivity surrounding his employer, Abhishek Banerjee. Should the apex court grant a stay, Roy would have breathing room to comply with the High Court's direction in the job case without risking arrest. If the court declines, investigators could detain him the moment he appears for questioning. The case adds to a series of legal pressures bearing down on figures in the TMC's inner circle.