West Bengal: If you want to give justice then arrest the ED attackers immediately… High Court’s harsh comment on the administrative staff of Bengal
Calcutta High Court on Monday made scathing remarks on the administrative actions of Bengal. The High Court told the Advocate General that if the state wants justice then the accused of the Sandeshkhali attack should be arrested immediately. The main accused Sheikh Shahjahan is in hiding since January 5. He has also approached the High Court to file an appeal. Justice Jai Sengupta, while hearing a petition by ED, told Kishore Dutta that if you want to do justice then arrest the accused and hand over the investigation to CBI.
The High Court’s comments came in the backdrop of Shahjahan’s lawyer Biswaroop Mukherjee appealing to the court to include his client as a party in the case. Justice Sengupta said why is your client not surrendering? You were trying to influence the Advocate General. I mistook you for the junior lawyer of the state. Why were you trying to stop the Advocate General? When the AG said that four people had already been arrested, Justice Sengupta said why only four out of so many accused…? When the main accused is absconding for so many days, why is the investigation still in the hands of the police?
Why section 307 was not added to the FIR?
The justice also questioned why the state police did not include Indian Penal Code (IPC) section 307 (punishment for attempt to murder) in the FIR lodged at the local Nazaat police station. To this, Dutta said that this section was not included because the injured ED officers had alleged that they were pushed by the mob. Justice Sengupta questioned “Is there any point in continuing the investigation of the case by the Najat police station?” State Advocate General Kishore Dutta said the state police team visited Sheikh Shahjahan’s house thrice and locked him at home each time. Found it.
Justice Sengupta then pointed to the ED’s complaint, which stated that when investigators reached Shahjahan’s house, he was inside his house, but they could not reach the house. The judge asked whether the police entered the house after the incident? Why was the house not sealed after the incident?
Case diary not submitted in court
He also expressed disappointment over the fact that the state government has not yet submitted the case diary in the court. Only the case diary can tell what progress has been made so far in the investigation of the case. He also directed the state police to submit the case diary to the court by Tuesday, when the case will be heard again.
