The Supreme Court dismissed the West Bengal Government’s plea for an urgent hearing on the Sandeshkhali case, which revolves around the assault on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officers in January. Additionally, the apex court declined to issue a stay on the Calcutta High Court’s order directing the State to immediately transfer custody of former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sheikh Shahjahan to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In its ruling, the Supreme Court asserted urgent listing applications would be considered by the Chief Justice of India, indicating that the matter would not be entertained outside of regular court hours.
Earlier, the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal Government had moved the Supreme Court, seeking an expedited hearing in the Sandeshkhali case involving TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan. This move comes after the State Government’s refusal to transfer Shahjahan to the custody of the CBI.
Senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, representing the West Bengal Government, presented the plea before a Bench comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta. The plea specifically addressed the central probe agency’s demand for immediate compliance with a high court order, which mandated the transfer of the investigation to the CBI.
The State Government had urgently requested the listing of the plea on Tuesday. In response, the Bench directed the State Government counsel to bring the matter to the attention of the Registrar General of the Supreme Court.
The legal battle originated from separate appeals filed by both the ED and the West Bengal Government in the high court. These appeals contested a single bench order issued on January 17, which had mandated the formation of a joint Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising the CBI and state police to investigate the mob attack on ED officials.
While the ED advocated for sole CBI jurisdiction over the probe, the State Government insisted on police oversight. Ultimately, the high court acceded to the ED’s request and directed the transfer of the investigation to the central agency. Additionally, the high court ordered the custody of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh, arrested by the West Bengal Police on February 29 in connection with the attack, to be handed over to the CBI.
