Shahjahan, who was arrested final month, is now within the custody of CBI
New Delhi:
In a setback to the Mamata Banerjee authorities, the Supreme Courtroom at this time dismissed its problem to the Calcutta Excessive Courtroom order that transferred to the CBI investigation into an assault on a staff of Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers in Bengal’s Sandeshkhali. A staff of ED officers had come below a mob assault on January 5 after they went to the island to look properties linked to native strongman Sheikh Shahjahan.
The bench of Justice BR Gavai and Justice Sandeep Mehta additionally questioned the Trinamool Congress authorities why it took 50 days to arrest Shahjahan. The now-expelled Trinamool chief is within the CBI’s custody. Apart from the case regarding the assault on the ED staff, the strongman and his aides face allegations of land seize, extortion and sexual harassment.
The excessive courtroom had final week requested Bengal police at hand over Shahjahan’s custody to the central company. It had additionally come down closely on the state police. The Supreme Courtroom at this time expunged the excessive courtroom’s observations on Bengal police.
In response to the Supreme Courtroom’s question on why it took 50 days to arrest the strongman, Bengal police mentioned a excessive courtroom order had paused the investigation. “There was a keep on investigation. We went again to courtroom, asking for a clarification. It was clarified. Inside at some point, he was arrested,” senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, showing for Bengal authorities, advised the courtroom. “To say that the state police is delaying the investigation…these sorts of allegations are very damaging,” he mentioned.
Opposing the Bengal authorities, Extra Solicitor Common SV Raju referred to the January 5 incident. “In a case involving a ration rip-off working into crores of rupees, ED officers went to (the) home of this fundamental accused. The door was not open they usually have been crushed up. They tried to water down the case, insofar because the assault of the ED officer is anxious. They filed another case. That is why the investigation was stayed,” he mentioned. The Centre’s counsel mentioned Bengal police made “no critical effort” to enter Shahjahan’s residence.
“There are a number of instances of harassment in opposition to him. He has been patronised by native police and politicians. (For) 57 days, he isn’t out there. Then in a single day he seems,” he mentioned. Mr Raju additionally contested the state authorities’s argument {that a} pause within the investigation stopped state police from arresting Shahjahan.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, additionally showing for Bengal authorities, flagged the excessive courtroom’s remarks on state police. When Mr Raju mentioned these observations could also be deleted, Mr Singhvi replied, “If these observations are deleted, then what are the grounds?”
“The observations in opposition to the police and the State authorities are deemed to be expunged,” the courtroom mentioned.
The allegations by residents of Sandeshkhali, an island in Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, have raised a political storm within the state. Shahjahan, who’s on the centre of those allegations, was arrested final month after he was on the run for 55 days. What adopted was a dramatic tug of struggle between central companies and state police for the strongman’s custody.
On one event, the state cops refused at hand him over, pointing to the state authorities’s problem to the excessive courtroom in Supreme Courtroom. The excessive courtroom, nevertheless, held that its order had not been paused and directed Bengal police at hand over Shahjahan to CBI.