In an evening stand-off, the West Bengal CID today refused to hand over Sheikh Shahjahan, the main accused in the extortion, land grab and sexual assault of women in Sandeshkhali, to the CBI, despite the Calcutta High Court ordering the same. “The Bengal Police have been instructed to hand over Shahjahan and all relevant case materials by 4:30 pm today,” the High Court had said in its order in the morning.
The State Government – within an hour of the order given by Calcutta High Chief Justice’s Division Bench directing CID to hand over Sheikh Shahjahan to CBI before 4.30 pm today – rushed to the Supreme Court to stave off such an eventuality.
Chief Justice T.S. Sivagnanam, leading the High Court bench, revoked a previous order establishing a Special Investigative Team comprising CBI and State police officials, transferring the case to the Central agency.
Both the Enforcement Directorate and the State separately challenged this decision; the Enforcement Directorate advocated for the case to be solely handled by the CBI, while the State preferred the police to conduct the investigation.
The Supreme Court declined senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi’s plea for an urgent hearing and did not pass any stay order. The Supreme Court stated it would follow standard procedures and directed Singhvi to bring up the plea before its Registrar-General.
But hours later, the CBI team which reached the State CID headquarters with a big team of escorting Central forces, was not allowed to take Shahjahan into their custody.
CBI sources said that their team was kept waiting for more than two hours and then turned away on the plea that the State Government had moved the Supreme Court challenging the High Court order.
Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP’s leader of the Opposition, said on X: “It seems like unfortunately the State of West Bengal isn’t being governed by a Government which abides by the Law or strives to establish the Rule of Law.
“Within one hour of the Order given by the Hon’ble First Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court asking to hand over Sheikh Shahjahan to CBI before 4.30 pm today, the WB Govt rushed to the Hon’ble Supreme Court to avoid such an occurrence.
“As per media reports, thankfully their plea for a quick hearing and intervention was turned down.
“Is this an elected State Govt or a Mafia Syndicate, whose only motive is to grant protection to Criminals, Thieves, Marauders, Smugglers, Rapists like Sheikh Shahjahan, just because they are close aides and associates of Mamata Banerjee?”
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate today said that ED, Kolkata had “provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs. 12.78 Crore in the form of 14 immovable properties in the nature of apartment, agriculture land, land for fishery, land and building etc. in Gram Sarberia, Sandeshkhali and Kolkata and two bank accounts under the provisions of PMLA, 2002 in the matter of Shahjahan Sheikh and others”.
Sheikh Shahjahan had been evading authorities since January 5 when a group of Enforcement Directorate officials was assaulted by his supporters while en route to conduct raids. His disappearance and the assault triggered a significant political controversy, with the BJP accusing the ruling Trinamool party, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, of shielding him.
After 55 days on the run, Shahjahan was apprehended by a special police team and expelled from the Trinamool Congress for six years. His arrest followed three days after the High Court issued an order for his apprehension.