The Supreme Court has granted bail to Sudipta Sen, chairman and managing director of the Saradha Group, in a case arising from the multi-crore Saradha chit fund scam, taking note of his prolonged incarceration of nearly a decade.
A Bench of Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Augustine George Masih passed the order in Sudipta Sen v. Central Bureau of Investigation, setting aside the Gauhati High Court’s January 20, 2025 order which had rejected Sen’s bail plea.
The Court noted that Sen had been in custody in the case since December 30, 2016. After considering the overall circumstances, the Bench held that he was entitled to be released on bail, subject to conditions to be determined by the trial court. The Supreme Court directed that Sen be produced before the trial court forthwith for compliance with the bail conditions and also called for the trial to be expedited.
The case relates to allegations surrounding the Saradha Group’s collection of funds from lakhs of small investors through agents across West Bengal and neighbouring States. The financial crisis came to light after the group failed to return investors’ money, triggering investigations and criminal proceedings against its promoters and other alleged participants.
Sen was arrested by the West Bengal Police in 2013 and had remained in custody in multiple proceedings for several years. In April 2026, the Calcutta High Court had granted him bail in the last two cases pending against him there, paving the way for his release subject to other proceedings.
The present Supreme Court order concerns the CBI case registered in Assam, and marks another significant development in the long-running Saradha scam litigation, which has continued for more than a decade.
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