SC to hold hearing on February 19 on PIL seeking court supervision into probe into Sandeshkhali violence

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a PIL on Monday seeking a court-supervised CBI or SIT probe into the violence in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali village.

A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Augustine George Masih will hear the PIL filed by lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava. On February 16, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the plea after Srivastava mentioned emergency listing.

The plea filed by Srivastava in his personal capacity also seeks compensation to the victims of the Sandeshkari violence and the alleged negligent actions of West Bengal police officials. Srivastava is a practicing Supreme Court lawyer who has been filing PILs in the Supreme Court to raise socio-political issues.

The plea also seeks transfer of the investigation outside West Bengal for subsequent trials.

Additionally, it has sought a probe by a three-judge bench, as was done in the Manipur violence case. Sandeshkhali, a village in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district, witnessed protests over accusations of sexual abuse of women by local TMC leaders.

Several local women have accused local Trinamool Congress party strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of land grabbing and sexually assaulting them under duress.

Shah Jahan has been on the run after a mob allegedly linked to him attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his residence in connection with a corruption case.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)