The Acting Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court; Rajesh Bindal, on Tuesday observed the court was aware of Special Investigation Team (SIT) not functioning which the five -judge bench of the High Court, on August 19. The SIT was to be formed to look into the cases of post poll violence other than cases of murder and sexual assault assigned to the CBI for investigation.
“We know that the SIT is not working and necessary steps will be taken,” the court observed when Ravi Shankar Chatterjee, counsel for Kashinath Biswas raised this matter.
The observation of the High Court is a thick hint to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee that she better not take the judicial system for granted.
During the course of hearing the court of Acting Chief Justice directed the CBI and the SIT to file a status report to it within six weeks.
Kashinath Biswas who is a local BJP leader had filed a petition at the High Court stating that even after 10 days have passed West Bengal government has not made the three-member Special Investigation Team functional. Speaking to
News18.com quoted Biswas saying, “I filed a PIL and mentioned that CBI has started investigating the matter in the concerned districts of Bengal where post poll violence took place but SIT could not be seen anywhere. Today, the matter was mentioned by my lawyer Ravi Shankar Chatterjee.”
The SIT comprising IPS officers namely Soumen Mitra (Calcutta police commissioner), Suman Bala Sahoo (DG telecommunications) and Ranbir Kumar (ADG (administration I)) is yet to become functional.
Notably, on August 19, the five member bench of the Calcutta High Court passed the order to form the SIT as well as the CBI investigation after the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) submitted its report on human right violation in West Bengal. The NHRC has made quite a few damning revelations in the report which detailed the barbarity unleashed upon the political opponents.
The court had categorically stated that the SIT investigation will be monitored by a retired Judge of the Supreme Court. It means it will be difficult for the West Bengal Police and the Mamata Banerjee to distort and suppress facts of post poll violence which Mamata Banerjee has denied.
West Bengal witnessed an unprecedented post poll violence where a large number of BJP workers and leaders were allegedly brutally murdered, prosecuted and raped by leaders and workers of Mamata Banerjee led ruling Trinamool Congress. This alleged state managed violence started right after assembly poll results were declared on May 2.
Even the victory of Trinamool Congress was not sugar coated. Trinamool Congress had won but Mamata Banerjee lost her Nandigram bastion from her BJP rival Suvendu Adhikari that came as bitter pills for her. The BJP tremendously gained and emerged as the main opposition party.
