Updated January 4th, 2022 at 15:04 IST
West Bengal post-poll violence: CBI, SIT file status reports; probe in 48 cases underway
In a fresh development pertaining to the West Bengal post-poll violence case, the Calcutta High Court took on record the status reports by CBI and the SIT.
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In a fresh development pertaining to the West Bengal post-poll violence case, the Calcutta High Court took on record the latest status reports submitted by the CBI and the Special Investigation Team. Appearing for the CBI, Additional Solicitor General YJ Dastoor told the division bench of the Calcutta HC comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice IP Mukherji on Monday that the central agency had registered 52 cases. He added that CBI had filed chargesheets in 10 of these cases whereas the probe was underway in 38 more cases.
On the other hand, the SIT's counsel revealed that it had filed chargesheets and closure reports in 573 and 60 cases respectively. Moreover, he elaborated that the investigation is pending in only 10 cases. Thereafter, the bench asked both the CBI and the SIT to file additional status reports pertaining to the remaining cases under investigation. It also directed them to place on record the action taken on each complaint filed by the petitioners. The matter will now come up for hearing on January 24.
West Bengal post-poll violence
BJP, Congress, CPI(M), TMC and ISF were up in arms over the violence which claimed at least 16 lives after the declaration of Assembly poll results in West Bengal earlier this year. Incidentally, a petitioner moved the Calcutta HC over the post-poll violence in the state. At the outset, the 5-judge bench comprising the then Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justices IP Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen, and Subrata Talukdar directed the NHRC chairperson to form a committee to examine all complaints pertaining to the violence. In its report submitted on July 12, the NHRC committee had opined that the situation in the state is a manifestation of the 'Law of Ruler' instead of 'Rule of Law'.
Ruling that TMC's allegations of bias against the NHRC panel don't hold merit, the Calcutta HC agreed to order a CBI probe in cases of murder and crimes against women on August 19. It also entrusted all other cases referred by the NHRC to an SIT comprising IPS officers Suman Bala Sahoo, Soumen Mitra and Ranbir Kumar. Directing the state government to hand over all documents and records to the investigative agencies, it warned that any obstruction in the course of the probe will be taken very seriously.
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Published January 4th, 2022 at 15:04 IST
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