The West Bengal government on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order transferring the probe into an attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at Sandeshkhali on January 5 from the West Bengal Police to the CBI.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Mani Singhvi, who was representing the West Bengal government mentioned the matter before a bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna.
This comes hours after the high court ordered the transfer of the investigation into an attack on Enforcement Directorate officials at Sandeshkhali from the West Bengal Police to the CBI.
The court also directed that the custody of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh, who was arrested by the West Bengal police on February 29 in connection with the attack, be handed over to the central agency.
“The accused who was apprehended on 29th February 2024 after being on the run for more than 50 days is not an ordinary citizen. He is an elected representative of the public, holding the highest office in a Zilla Parishad, he was fielded as the candidate at the elections held for the said post by the political party which is ruling dispensation. Thus, it has become imperative and necessary for doing complete justice and enforcing the fundamental rights of the public in general and the public of the locality that the cases be transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation for investigation and to proceed further,” the court stated in its order.
The TMC leader was arrested by Bengal police a day after the high court 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 police.
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.
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