The Madras high court on Wednesday posted to May 30 the hearing of the bail application moved by IG Pramod Kumar who was arrested for his alleged involvement in Tirupur Paazee scam.
Justice T. Mathivanan directed the CBI, which is investigating the case, to file its counter. The CBI picked up Pramod Kumar, who is currently lodged in Puzhal prison, near Gurgaon in New Delhi.
He had vanished from Chennai after the high court declined his anticipatory bail plea a few weeks ago.
Pramod Kumar, who was then the IG of west zone, was transferred and posted in Chennai immediately after the scam hit the headlines. Subsequently, he was moved to armed police.
Pramod Kumar and few of his junior officials were charged with collecting more than Rs 3 crore from the directors of Paazee Forex Services, as hush money.
The special crimes wing of CBI had already arrested a DSP and a suspended inspector in connection with the case.
The directors of Paazee, who were at large for long, had been arrested a few months ago. The scam was initially probed by the CB-CID and later by the CBI.
According to the property returns filed by the IPS officer before the government, Pramod Kumar and his wife own properties in four places in Kancheepuram district and one property each in Delhi, Krishnagiri, Vellore and Gurgaon in Haryana.
His most recent asset declaration states that Pramod Kumar had purchased a plot worth Rs 1.49 crore in Gurgaon in Haryana.
Don’t grant Pramod bail: Paazee investors
Several Paazee investors have sent telegrams to the registrar general of the Madras high court saying that the inspector general of police (IG) Pramod Kumar, who was arrested in connection with the Tirupur Paazee forex scam, should not be granted bail.
The investors said that if Pramod was released on bail he would intimidate witnesses and tamper with evidence, as “he is an influential police officer”.
Telegrams have also been sent to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union home minister P. Chidambaram.
N. Nachimuthu, the president of the Paazee Depositors Welfare Association, Madurai, pleaded that Pramod should not be given bail as he was a senior official who had misused his powers and that thousands of investors had been affected and some had even lost their lives.
Pramod Kumar was “acting” to get the bail, the telegram said about his recent admissions to government hospitals on health grounds.
When Pramod Kumar was brought to Coimbatore central prison, he had complained of chest pain and was admitted to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH).
Then, he was taken to Chennai and admitted to the government hospital at Royapettah before he was lodged in Puzhal prison.
“So far, more than 100 telegrams have been sent by people known to us. We have sent the telegram as an association. Meanwhile, the members have sent the telegrams praying that he be not given the bail in their individual capacity too,” Nachimuthu told Deccan Chronicle.
On Wednesday, the bail petition came for hearing at the high court, but the next date of hearing was fixed at May 30.
“The depositors’ money should be recovered first from Pramod Kumar. Only then should his bail petition be considered for hearing. Once the recovery is made, it is left to the discretion of the judge whether or not to grant bail,” said Nachimuthu.