SC Refuses To Follow Calcutta HC Order Giving CBI Case Of Sandeshkhali
On Monday, the Supreme Court declined to intervene in the Calcutta High Court’s decision to transfer the Sandeskhali violence case—which concerns the assault on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials—to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Nevertheless, a panel of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta decided to remove criticism of the West Bengal Police from the high court ruling.
The West Bengal Police were instructed to turn over Sheikh Shahjahan, the alleged assault mastermind, from the CID to the CBI on March 5th, after the Calcutta High Court demanded an impartial investigation into the case.
The West Bengal government responded to this by filing a Special Leave Petition (SLP) with the Supreme Court, claiming that the decision from the High Court to hand over the investigation to the CBI was made in a hasty way and that this interferes with its ability to seek legal recourse.
Situated on the edge of the Sunderbans, the Sandeshkhali area had been in chaos for more than a month as a result of accusations made against Sheikh and his allies for alleged sexual assault and land takeover. The Basirhat police district has authority over the region.
