The local court in West Bengal’s Coochbehar has refused to grant bail to former North Bengal Development Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Udayan Guha in the alleged housing scam case on Wednesday.
The court has also directed him to be in police custody till June 29. Moreover, several new charges have been added to his case.
Earlier last week, Guha was remanded to seven days’ police custody by the Dinhata Sub-Divisional Court in Coochbehar. Guha was arrested from Kolkata by the local police and then brought to Dinhata to face trial.
The case originated from a complaint lodged by Rupam Saha, who alleged large-scale extortion, criminal breach of trust, cheating and criminal conspiracy involving Guha and 13 others.
Police registered the case under Sections 406, 420, 384 and 120B of the law against a total of 14 accused persons, with Guha named as the principal accused.
In his complaint, Saha claimed that following the 2021 Assembly election, an organisation named Shishu Mangal Samiti was formed under Guha’s leadership and operated from Subhas Bhavan in Dinhata.
The complainant claimed that despite any legal or statutory status, the organisation collected money from businessmen, individuals and various organisations through coercive means. Receipts were allegedly issued in some cases, while money was collected without documentation in others.
The complaint also refers to collections allegedly made in connection with the proposed Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) at Dinhata Hospital and other activities.