WB govt moves SC against Calcutta HC's Sandeshkhali CBI probe order; hearing on Monday

The West Bengal government on Friday moved the Supreme Court challenging the Calcutta High Court's decision to greenlight a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into allegations of sexual assault and land grabbing in North 24 Parganas' Sandeshkhali village.

A Supreme Court bench of bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta will hear the plea on Monday, April 29.

The Calcutta High Court, earlier in April, ordered a court-CBI probe into all cases related to Sandeshkhali, including those involving land grabbing, conversion of agricultural land into water bodies for pisciculture, physical assault on women and alleged rape cases.


A division bench, comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya, said the investigation would be monitored by the court and the CBI will have to file a comprehensive report on the complaints at the next date of hearing, scheduled for May 2.

At the time of the court order, the CBI was probing the attack on Enforcement Directorate officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5, when they had gone to search the premises of now-suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh in connection with a ration distribution scam case.