ED challenges order forming joint SIT into Sandeshkhali attack in Calcutta HC

Kolkata: The Enforcement Directorate has challenged before a division bench of the Calcutta High Court a single bench order forming a joint special investigation team of CBI and West Bengal police to probe an attack on ED officials at Sandeshkhali, a lawyer representing the agency said on Tuesday.

The appeal has been listed for hearing before a division bench presided by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam on Wednesday.

Challenging the formation of a joint SIT, the ED prayed for a holistic investigation by the CBI, the lawyer representing ED in the matter said.

The ED said that three of its officials were injured and their belongings like laptops, mobile phones and purses were 'looted' in a mob attack on them when they went to search the premises of Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh on January 5 at Sandeshkhali in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district.

The agency's counsel had prayed before the single bench for a transfer of the investigation into the attack to the CBI, claiming that the central agency does not have faith in a probe being done by the West Bengal police.

Justice Jay Sengupta had on January 17 directed that the probe will be monitored by the court and the SIT to file a progress report of the investigation on February 12.

He had directed that one SP rank officer of CBI and Jaspreet Singh, SP of Islampur police district will jointly head the SIT.

Justice Sengupta had said that the ED's prayer for a single agency, the CBI, to probe the attack was not being allowed at this stage and can be considered later on the basis of how the investigation progresses.

ED officials went to search the premises of Shajahan, including his residence and office, at Sandeshkhali in connection with their probe into the money trail in an alleged ration distribution scam case in West Bengal, when the central agency's officials and accompanying CRPF personnel were attacked by a mob.

The ED's counsels had submitted before the single bench that a facade was being carried out in the name of police investigation into the attack.

They had stated that despite public servants on duty having been grievously assaulted, only milder sections of the IPC were instituted in a suo motu FIR filed by the police.

Following the court's intervention on the previous date of hearing, the state government had informed it on January 17 that the application for inclusion of IPC Section 307 (attempt to murder) and that of dacoity has been given to the concerned lower court in North 24 Parganas district.