The West Bengal government has moved the Supreme Court against the Calcutta High Court order for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to be handed over the custody of TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh in the Sandeshkhali case. Shahjahan Sheikh has been accused of extortion, land grabbing and sexual assault in Bengal’s Sandeshkhali.
While the custody was supposed to be handed over today at 4:30 pm as per the high court order, the West Bengal CID did not hand over custody of Sheikh Shahjahan to CBI.
Before the Bengal government’s action, the Calcutta High Court had directed that the CBI be handed over the case of attack on ED officials at Sandeshkhali and the custody of suspended TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh, while slamming the Mamata Banerjee government for “protecting” the accused.
Within a few hours of the high court order, the TMC government moved the Supreme Court, challenging the order. The Supreme Court has, however, refused an urgent hearing of the matter and asked the state to mention the case before the Registrar General.
The CBI team waited for over two hours. A CIB official said, “We have not handed him over to CBI as the state government has moved the Supreme Court.”
THE ED ATTACK CASE
A team of ED officials was attacked by a nearly 1,000-strong mob on January 5 when they went to raid the house of Sheikh, who allegedly has close links with arrested former state food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick, in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution scam in West Bengal.
“There can be no better case than the case on hand which requires to be transferred to be investigated by CBI,” a high court division bench headed by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam ruled.
Shahjahan 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.
Meanwhile, the ED is likely to move the Calcutta High Court on Wednesday against the West Bengal government for not handing over suspended TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh’s custody to the CBI, PTI reported.
(With agency inputs)
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Aisha Patel is a dedicated Indian correspondent with a deep understanding of the nation’s diverse affairs. With a background in Indian culture, politics, and current events, she provides in-depth analysis and timely reporting on domestic issues within India.
