SC junks Bengal's plea against transfer of Sandeshkhali ED assault case to CBI

SC junks West Bengal's plea

The Supreme Court on March 11 dismissed a plea by the Bengal government challenging a Calcutta High Court order that transferred to the CBI the investigation into the violence against ED officials by aides of ruling Trinamool leader Shahjahan Sheikh in Sandeshkhali.

The court, however, expunged the high court's remarks against the state police from the order.

On March 6, the Calcutta High Court was informed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that central agencies had not been given Sheikh's custody despite its orders.

The state government argued that it had filed an appeal against the order in the Supreme Court. The high court said since the top court had not stayed its order, the state was obliged to hand Sheikh over to the CBI.

It directed the government to handover Sheikh's custody to the CBI by 4.15 pm that day itself.

A day earlier, the Calcutta HC ordered transfer the probe into an attack on Enforcement Directorate officials at Sandeshkhali on January 5 from the West Bengal Police to the CBI.

The court also directed that the custody of Sheikh, who was arrested by the West Bengal police on February 29, be handed over to the central agency.

Sheikh was arrested by the state police on February 29,  a day after the high court ordered that immediate arrest of the ruling Trinamool Congress leader, who is also a prime accused in cases of sexual assault and land grab in Sandeshkhali.

In January, three ED officials were allegedly injured and their mobile phones, laptops and wallets looted when they went to Sandeshkhali to search the premises of Sheikh.

The raid was carried out for his alleged links with former Bengal food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick in a multi-crore ration distribution scam .