Calcutta High Court criticizes Mamata Banerjee govt's failure to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan

The Calcutta High Court on Wednesday (February 28) criticized the West Bengal government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for its failure to arrest Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan. The court's scathing remarks highlighted that not only the West Bengal Police but also the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) have the authority to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan.

The Calcutta High Court issued a directive, emphasizing that Shahjahan Sheikh, the key accused in cases involving sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing in Sandeshkhali, can be arrested by the CBI, ED, or the West Bengal Police.

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The court clarified its earlier order from February 26, stating that the arrest could be made by any of the mentioned authorities.

This decision came in response to a plea by the state's advocate general, seeking clarification on the court's previous order, which had mandated the arrest by the police. The court specified that its February 7 order had only halted the formation of a joint special investigation team (SIT) comprising the CBI and West Bengal Police to investigate an attack on ED officials.

The division bench, led by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam, explicitly stated that the CBI or ED could also arrest Sheikh Shahjahan, who has been evading authorities for a significant period. The ED officials faced an attack by a large mob in Sandeshkhali on January 5 while attempting to search Sheikh's premises in connection with an alleged ration distribution scam in the state.

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• Calcutta
• Calcutta High Court
• High Court
• Mamata Banerjee
• Sheikh Shahjahan
• West Bengal