The West Bengal government on Friday approached the Supreme Court challenging the decision of Calcutta High Court directing CBI probe in connection with the allegations of land grabbing and sexual assault in Sandeshkhali. The case will be heard on April 29 by the bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehta.
The Trinamool Congress government led by Mamata Banerjee in its petition stated that the High Court failed to consider the underlying political motive in the case. It also underlined that extensive steps taken by the state police in the matter were completely ignored by the High Court, and the transfer of the probe to the CBI in a cursory manner is a violation of the law.
The plea mentioned that the impugned order, which on one hand has called for a report from the CBI on the investigation has further painted the entire state machinery at fault attributing culpability of the state officials in the land grabbing allegations, which prima facie are unwarranted.
Earlier in March, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with the Calcutta HC order transferring investigation against arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shahjahan Sheikh in the alleged attack on Enforcement Directorate officers, to the CBI.
The investigation agency seized arms and ammunition, including foreign-made pistols, during its searches at multiple locations in Sandeshkhali on Friday in connection with an attack on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team by a group of men allegedly instigated by local TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh.
The investigation agency team was attacked in Sandeshkhali on January 5 when it had gone to raid the premises of Sheikh in connection with an alleged ration scam. The CBI during its investigation got inputs of a large cache of arms hidden in Sandeshkhali. Later on Friday morning, a CBI team initiated a search operation during which the arms, including foreign-made pistols, were seized.
As per the orders of the Calcutta High Court, the nodal agency had registered three FIRs related to the incidents on January 5. The FIRs relates to alleged attack on ED officers by a mob on the complaint by officers, allegations against ED officials levelled by the guard of suspended TMC leader Sheikh and a suo motu case registered by the Nazat police station about the attack on ED officers.
The suspended Trinamool leader was arrested by the West Bengal Police on February 29 in connection with the attack.