Supreme Court rejects plea for speedy trial of Sardha Group's ex-director

NEW DELHI: Sardha group's jailed executive director Debjani Mukherjee today failed to get relief in the multi-crore rupees ponzi scam cases, with the Supreme Court trashing her plea for speedy trial.

A bench comprising justices T S Thakur and C Nagappan did not accept Mukherjee's plea that she was being made accused in new cases on a regular basis and her constitutional right to speedy justice has been denied.

"Since CBI is following our orders, we find no merit in it. The petition is dismissed," the court said.

Saradha group CMD Sudipta Sen and Executive Director Debjani Mukherjee are in jail in connection with the chit-fund scam cases.

The apex court had, on May 9 last year, ordered a CBI probe into the chit fund scam cases in West Bengal, Odisha and Assam allegedly involving various companies including Saradha, while taking note of allegations that scamsters were getting "patronage" of people in "high positions".

So far, three ruling Trinamool Congress leaders, including West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra and two MPs, Srinjoy Bose and Kunal Ghosh, have been arrested in the Saradha chit fund scam cases.

CBI has also questioned senior Trinamool leader and former Railway Minister Mukul Roy in connection with the case.