HC grants bail to Sudipta Sen in remaining Saradha cases, to walk free after 13 years

The Calcutta High Court has granted bail to Sudipta Sen, the chief of the Saradha Group, in the two remaining cases registered by the state police, clearing the way for his release after more than 13 years in custody. With this order, there are no legal obstacles left to his release, and he is likely to walk out of prison as early as Thursday if procedural formalities are completed.

A division bench of Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj delivered the verdict on Wednesday after reserving its order following a detailed hearing on Tuesday. The decision comes after Sen filed a prisoner’s petition, alleging prolonged delays in trial proceedings and claiming that he had not been produced in court—either physically or virtually—for over one and a half years. He sought bail on the grounds of excessive detention without trial.

During the hearing, the court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation to submit details of all cases against him. It was informed that out of 382 cases, 76 were being handled by the central agency, in which Sen had already secured conditional bail. He had also obtained bail in most state cases, with only two cases pending in a Barasat court until now.

The court also sought details from the Saradha and Talukdar committees regarding funds collected, assets seized, and dues owed to depositors before delivering its final judgment. With bail now granted in all pending cases, Sen’s prolonged incarceration as an undertrial comes to an end, although multiple cases related to the chit fund scam are still pending across courts.