The West Bengal police on Tuesday refused to hand over Trinamool Congress strongman Shahjahan Sheikh, the prime accused in the attack on a team of the Enforcement Directorate in January this year, to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The state govenrment led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee moved the Supreme Court hours after the Calcutta High Court directed the CID to hand over the probe into the case as well as Sheikh’s custody to the central probe agency.

As per the orders of the Calcutta High Court, TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh, who was arrested by the West Bengal Police on February 29 in connection with the attack, was also to be handed over to the CBI by 4.30 pm on Tuesday.

However, the CID of the Bengal police refused to hand over Sheikh’s custody stating that the matter was pending before the Supreme Court. Appearing for the state government hours after the Calcutta HC’s verdict, senior advocate AM Sinhgvi mentioned the matter before a Supreme Court bench presided by Justice Sanjiv Khanna. The bench asked him to place the papers before Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, who will consider the plea for listing it for hearing.

Meanwhile, the ED on Tuesday attached properties worth Rs 12.78 crore linked to Sheikh in connection with the case. The properties attached include 14 immovable properties including an apartment, agricultural land etc.

“ED, Kolkata has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs. 12.78 Crore in the form of 14 immovable properties in the nature of apartment, agriculture land, land for fishery, land and building etc. in Gram Serberia, Sandeshkhali and Kolkata and two bank accountsunder the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in the matter of Shahjahan Seikh and others,” the financial probe agency said in a statement.

Sandeshkhali, a small island in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, has been at the centre of a massive political row between the BJP and TMC ever since January 5 when ED officials were assaulted while conducting a search at the home of Sheikh. The ED team had gone there in connection with an investigation into alleged irregularities in the state’s public distribution system.

After evqading arrest for over 50 days, Sheikh was arrested by the state police following a nudge by the Calcutta HC on February 29 and remanded to the custody of the state CID. The TMC announced his suspension from the party for a period of six years.

In a related development on Tuesday, National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharmas called on President Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and sought the imposition of President’s rule in West Bengal.

“Sandeshkhali is not an isolated incident. Previously also many incidents of violence have been reported in the state and no action has been taken by the government. Hence, NCW recommended to President Droupadi Murmu to impose President’s rule in the State,” Sharma said speaking to the media after meeting the President.

Sharma added that the President told her that she is aware of the situation in the state and is closely monitoring it. Previously, the National Commission for Scheduled Caste (NCSC) had also recommended President rule in the TMC-ruled state.

Several women in Sandeshkhali have claimed that Sheikh and his “gang” captured swathes of land by force, besides “sexually harassing” them.