The Supreme Court on Monday refused to interfere with the Calcutta High Court’s order directing a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe in the Sandeshkhali matter pertaining to the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials.
However, the Supreme Court expunged remarks made by the High Court against state police and government, Live Law reported.
In an order passed on March 5, the Calcutta HC had ordered an independent CBI probe in the ED officials attack case and directed the West Bengal Police to hand over the accused behind the attack, Shahjahan Sheikh, from the custody of the West Bengal CID to the CBI on the same day.
Also Read: West Bengal: CBI searches Shahjahan Sheikh’s residence in Sandeshkhali earlier sealed by ED
Against this, the state government had filed a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the top court saying that the high court’s order to transfer the probe to the CBI was passed in a cursory manner and frustrates its right to avail remedy available under the law.
Shahjahan Sheikh has been accused of extortion, land grabbing and sexual assault in Bengal’s Sandeshkhali.
A team of ED officials was attacked by a mob on January 5 when they went to conduct raids at the residence of Sheikh, who allegedly had close links with arrested former state food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick, in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution scam in West Bengal. Shahjahan is accused of allegedly instigating the mob to attack the ED officials.
Also Read: Bengal Police hands over Sandeshkhali accused Shahjahan Sheikh to CBI after Calcutta HC order
On the day of the attack, he went absconding. After being on the run for 55 days, Sheikh was arrested by state police on February 29 in the ED officials attack case. The ED has alleged that the Bengal police arrested Shahjahan Sheikh in the ED case even though he has 40 other cases against him so that the custody does not go to the CBI.
However, he was handed over to the probe agency on March 6.