Sandeshkhali: Despite HC order, Bengal CID withholds Shahjahan Sheikh from CBI

Despite a clear instruction from the Calcutta High Court directing the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the state police to hand over Shahjahan Sheikh—the alleged mastermind behind the attack on Enforcement Directorate and CAPF teams in Sandeshkhali on 5 January—to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) at the earliest, the police have refused to hand over the accused to the central probe agency today, 5 March.

Armed with the Calcutta High Court order, three officials of the CBI, accompanied by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel, arrived at the CID headquarters in Bhabani Bhavan, in Kolkata at 4.40 pm on Tuesday, 5 March, for the official handover of Shahjahan and all case-related documents.

However, after over two hours of discussions, the CBI officials left Bhabani Bhavan at 7.05 pm without Sheikh Shahjahan.

Sources said that since the state government has already moved the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order, the CID authorities refused to hand over the accused to the central agency on the same evening.

The West Bengal government approached the Supreme Court bench presided over by Justice Sanjiv Khanna late on Tuesday afternoon, seeking its immediate intervention in the matter.

However, the apex court refused to entertain the plea and instead asked the state government counsel to approach the registrar (judicial) of the apex court to obtain directions from the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, for an urgent hearing of the case.

The Opposition parties in West Bengal, meanwhile, have claimed that the state government approaching the apex court is proof to its desperation to protect the accused.