On Tuesday, March 5, the Calcutta High Court dismissed the SIT formed to probe the arrest of TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and handed over the probe to the CBI.
Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam ordered the Mamata Govt to hand over the custody of the TMC leader to the CBI and said that the directions be complied with by 4.30 pm today (March 5).
“Hand over Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan to CBI by 4.30 pm,” Calcutta High Court said while issuing an ultimatum to the Bengal government.
After the Calcutta High Court order, the Mamata Government moved the Supreme Court against the HC order directing a CBI probe in the Sandeshkhali matter. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Mamata Government mentioned the plea before the Supreme Court. SC, however, asked Singhvi to mention it before the registrar general of the top court.
Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested on February 29, in connection with last month’s attack on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district. The arrest came 55 days after he fled in the wake of the public and political upheaval over allegations of sexual atrocities, land grabbing, robbing people, physical assault, and sexual abuse against Sheikh Shajahan and his supporters. He was arrested from a hideout barely 30km from Sandeshkhali.
The TMC leader was sent to 10-day police custody. The West Bengal Crime Investigation Department (CID) had taken over the ED officials’ assault case.
Both the ED and the West Bengal government moved separate appeals challenging a single bench order which on January 17 ordered the formation of a joint special investigation team (SIT) of the CBI and the state police to probe the mob attack on the ED officials.
The state pleaded that the inquiry would be assigned to the state police alone, but the ED wanted the case to be moved to the CBI alone.
Notably, Shahjahan’s arrest had come three days after the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice ordered to add Sheikh Shahjahan’s name to the Sandeshkhali case. The high court had ordered that Sheikh, who is also the prime accused in alleged sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing at Sandeshkhali, can be arrested by the CBI, the ED or the West Bengal Police.
BJP’s Amit Malviya hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after Shahjahan’s arrest saying that the state government had been left with no option but to arrest him. Naming TMC leaders for similar cases, Malviya alleged that they ‘run a similar reign of terror because they deliver votes to Mamata Banerjee’.