Supreme Court Stays Arrest Of Abhishek Banerjee Aide Sumit Roy In Alleged Salboni Land-Grab Case

New Delhi, August 6, 2026: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the arrest of Sumit Roy, personal assistant to Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee, in connection with the alleged Salboni land-grab case. The Court, however, directed Roy to appear for interrogation and fully cooperate with the investigation.

A Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V. Mohan passed the interim order while hearing Roy's petition challenging the Calcutta High Court's August 3 order rejecting his anticipatory bail plea. The Supreme Court said Roy's arrest would remain stayed, provided he cooperated with investigators, Live Law and Bar & Bench reported.

Relief Comes With Conditions

"The petitioner to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation. He should not be accompanied by any advocate or any other person. He shall remain available for any investigation from 10 am to 6 pm with the usual breaks. However, his arrest will remain stayed," the Court ordered.

The direction gives Roy protection from arrest for now but does not shield him from the investigation. By requiring him to remain available for questioning, the Court has sought to balance his request for protection with the investigating agency's demand for cooperation.

Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Roy, told the Bench that the Calcutta High Court had granted his client anticipatory bail in another case related to the cash-for-jobs scam. He argued that the First Information Report (FIR) in the present case was registered soon after the new government came to power in West Bengal following the recent Assembly elections, suggesting that the case was politically motivated.

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, appearing for the West Bengal government, countered that the alleged crime had taken place many years ago and that the previous dispensation had failed to take action.

State Seeks Custodial Interrogation

Sankaranarayanan gave an undertaking that Roy would cooperate with the investigation and sought protection from arrest. Mehta strongly opposed interim relief and argued that custodial interrogation was necessary.

"Allow me to say something, I will place it on affidavit on instructions. Once we went to arrest them and the honorable earlier Chief Minister intervened again. She always intervenes whenever a law enforcement agency is... I just want to place it on record. We need custodial interrogation," Mehta told the Court.

He further alleged that whenever law enforcement agencies attempted to act against people suspected of serious crimes, the former Chief Minister obstructed them. "As the highest court of the country your lordships will have to examine," he submitted.

Sankaranarayanan responded that political statements were being made before the Court.

The Bench also questioned the state's insistence on custodial interrogation despite Roy's assurance that he would cooperate. "I hope you are not saying the police is the problem," Chief Justice Kant remarked.

Mehta replied that attempts by the investigating agency to arrest Roy had repeatedly been obstructed. "Whenever we went to arrest him, it was obstructed. The former Chief Minister (Mamata Banerjee) herself obstructed it," he submitted.

Salboni Land-Grab Case

The case stems from an investigation into the alleged illegal grabbing and fraudulent transfer of government land in Salboni in West Bengal's Paschim Medinipur district. Roy has been named in the case.

In June, a Midnapore court issued an arrest warrant against Roy after the investigating agency told the Court that he could not be traced despite repeated attempts to arrest him. Police also raided Abhishek Banerjee's Kolkata residence while searching for Roy but did not find him there.

Earlier this week, the Calcutta High Court rejected Roy's anticipatory bail plea in the land-grab case, holding that custodial interrogation could not be ruled out at the current stage of the investigation. Roy subsequently approached the Supreme Court.

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For Roy, the Supreme Court order provides immediate protection from arrest, but the legal battle is far from over. The allegations against him remain under investigation, while the competing claims of political motivation and obstruction of law enforcement have added a political dimension to the proceedings.

The Supreme Court has, for now, kept its focus on the investigation: Roy must cooperate with investigators and remain available for questioning, while his arrest remains stayed.

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