Top Court Setback For Bengal, Probe Against Sheikh Shahjahan Stays With CBI

New Delhi: 

In a setback to the Mamata Banerjee government, the Supreme Court today dismissed its challenge to the Calcutta High Court order that transferred to the CBI investigation into an attack on a team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Bengal’s Sandeshkhali. A team of ED officials had come under a mob attack on January 5 when they went to the island to search properties linked to local strongman Sheikh Shahjahan.  

The bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehta also questioned the Trinamool Congress government why it took 50 days to arrest Shahjahan. The now-expelled Trinamool leader is in the CBI’s custody. Besides the case relating to the attack on the ED team, the strongman and his aides face allegations of land grab, extortion and sexual harassment.

The high court had last week asked Bengal police to hand over Shahjahan’s custody to the central agency. It had also come down heavily on the state police. The Supreme Court today expunged the high court’s observations on Bengal police.