Hand over Sheikh Shahjahan to CBI by 4.15 pm: Calcutta HC to Bengal govt

In a fresh directive on Wednesday, the Calcutta high court ordered the West Bengal government to hand over the Sandeshkhali ED official attack case accused Shajahan Sheikh to the Central Bureau of Investigation by 4.15 pm.

The high court directed the state government to "immediately implement" its Tuesday's judgement to transfer a case on the attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials at Sandeshkhali to the CBI and hand over custody of the main accused Sheikh to the central agency.

The ED moved a contempt petition before a division bench presided by Justice Harish Tandon against the state government claiming that it did not implement Tuesday's orders of a division bench presided by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam.

The court noted that though the state pleaded that it has filed before the Supreme Court an SLP challenging Tuesday's judgement, there is no interim stay granted on the implementation of the orders till the time it was passing its order.

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for ED, submitted that pendency of an SLP is not a stay unless there is an express order to that effect.

He claimed that the state was trying to deny custody of Sheikh to the CBI.

ED officials were attacked and injured by a mob when they went to search the premises of Sheikh at Sandeshkhali on January 5 in connection with a ration scam probe.

Sheikh was arrested by the West Bengal police on February 29 in connection with the attack on ED officials, following which the state government handed over the case to the state CID.