Following Jharkhand High Court’s order, the CBI has started the process to investigate the case connected with Advocate Rajiv Kumar’s cash to manage PILs.

The case of Rajiv Kumar, who was arrested in Kolkata with Rs 50 lakh cash and is out of jail on bail, is also being probed for a money laundering case filed by the Enforcement Directorate.

Jharkhand High Court Justice(JHC) Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi in his order had directed the CBI to take over this case within 15 days with effect from the day his order was passed on Wednesday.

In the complaint lodged by Amit Agrawal, Kolkata-based businessman and associate of Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren, who is in jail and whose interim bail petition was rejected by the JHC, and who had alleged that Rajiv Kumar had demanded cash to withdraw his name from the PILs seeking CBI probe into alleged shell companies owned by him and others, Kolkata police had registered a case against him.

Responding to Agrawal’s complaint, Kolkata police arrested Rajiv Kumar and recovered Rs 50 lakh cash from his possession on July 31. Since Rs 50 lakh was taken out from his bank account to hand it over to Rajiv Kumar, the ED had made Agrawal accused in a money laundering case on August 11.

As per the complaint filed by Agrawal, Advocate Rajiv Kumar had filed PILs and demanded Rs ten crore bribe to remove his name from these PILs.In response, Rs 50 lakh was paid to him as the “ first installment,” states Agrawal’s complaint.

The advocate of Agrawal had submitted before the court of Justice Dwivedi that if the court wants it can get it inquired into by any agency. Responding to his submission, Justice Dwivedi ordered that all matters incorporated into the PILs, charges of Shell companies, etc will be probed by the CBI.

“We have started the process to begin investigations”, said a source in the CBI on Friday.