Former Bengal minister of information and culture Indranil Sen being taken to court earlier this week
Investigators told the court on Thursday that the alleged corruption could exceed Rs 100 crore. Police have traced around 20 bank accounts linked to Sen, his family, several firms and close associates, through which crores were allegedly transacted. Police sources said 2022 documents on a Unesco tie-up with massArt, a company linked to Sen’s wife, have been collected, and clarification has been sought from Unesco.
Kolkata: Kolkata Police will question all accused in the Durga Puja preview passes corruption case, in which singer and former state information and culture minister Indranil Sen was arrested on Wednesday.
At the Calcutta High Court hearing on the former Chandannagar MLA’s anticipatory bail plea, the state alleged Sen misused his official position, with large sums moving through massArt into accounts of Sen and his family, and said only three companies received tenders during his tenure.
Sanyal countered that Sen had no connection with those firms, that a related matter is pending before the Supreme Court, making the arrest premature, and that Sen had cooperated and never switched off his phone.
Unesco did not select the 24 pujas, massArt did. The company’s claimed agreement with Unesco dates to 2025, yet money has been collected since 2022.
Public prosecutor Abhijit Chattopadhyay told the court: “This is a case of cheating and fraud. Sen’s lawyer Somnath Sanyal rejected the allegations, saying his client was not responsible for distributing tickets and that ticket sales were handled by a private company that “has not been brought into the investigation”. “Why should Sen remain in custody?” he asked.
Unesco never authorised use of its logo for commercial purposes, yet it appeared on the tickets. He pointed out that the puja committee’s president, vice-president and treasurer have been granted bail.