Sudipta Sen Granted Conditional Bail After 13 Years in Saradha Ponzi Scam

Calcutta High Court's Decision on Sudipta Sen

In a significant ruling, the Calcutta High Court has granted conditional bail to Sudipta Sen, a key figure in the Saradha ponzi scheme, in two remaining cases out of over 300 against him. This decision marks a potential end to his 13-year incarceration.

The division bench, which included justices Rajarshi Bharadwaj and Uday Kumar, approved bail for Sen concerning cases filed at the Barasat police station in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal.

Previously, Sen had received bail in all other cases, including four initiated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The court stipulated that Sen must post a bond of Rs 5,000 along with two sureties of the same amount, one of whom must be a local resident.

Sen's Saradha group was accused of defrauding millions through various ponzi schemes, leading to his arrest in April 2013 in Jammu and Kashmir after the discovery of financial irregularities amounting to hundreds of crores.

The court emphasized the need to protect public interest due to the scale of the financial fraud, mandating that Sen surrender his passport to the trial court unless it is already held by another agency.

Additionally, the court prohibited Sen from leaving West Bengal without prior written consent from the high court and required him to inform the Barasat police of his residential address, as well as notify them of any changes in his residence.

The court also imposed restrictions on Sen's involvement with any financial entities, barring him from promoting or acting as a consultant for such organizations.

Furthermore, he is prohibited from contacting or intimidating any individuals related to the cases, particularly complainants and witnesses, and must attend all trial dates, either virtually or in person.

Debjani Mukherjee, a close associate of Sen, was also arrested alongside him 13 years ago and has since been granted bail in her respective cases.