A five-judge Bench of Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the West Bengal government to hand over complaints of post poll violence to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The central agency will probe allegations of murder, rape and unnatural deaths.
The Court also directed to set up Special Investigation Team consisting (SIT) of three IPS officers of West Bengal to probe other offences relating to post poll violence. The probe will be monitored by the retired Judge of Supreme Court.
In the order, the five-judge bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh l Bindal directed the State to immediately process applications for compensation of victims. The CBI and SIT were directed to submit status report within six weeks.
While hearing several writ petitions on post poll violence the High Court in June 2021 had directed National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to set up a committee to look into allegations of post poll violence. The NHRC had submitted a report to the Court on July 13 directing that the probe be handed over to the CBI.
The Court in its order on Thursday had pointed out that allegations of bias raised by the West Bengal government against the NHRC committee does not stand.
The development assumes significant ramifications for West Bengal. Trinamool Congress government and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had refuted allegations of post poll violence. Ms Banerjee had maintained that there was no violence after she was sworn as the Chief Minister on May 5 for the third consecutive time.
The Bharatiya Janata Party leadership has welcomed the order and said that it proves that allegations of post poll violence were true.
The matter will come up for hearing in the first week of October 4.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/calcutta-hc-orders-cbi-sit-probe-into-west-bengal-post-poll-violence/article35991848.ece
