Sandeshkhali: Calcutta High Court questions West Bengal government over failure to arrest Shajahan Sheikh

The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday questioned the State of West Bengal for failing to arrest the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shajahan Sheikh, who has been absconding since the Enforcement Directorate (ED) team that came to raid his residence was attacked by his supporters. .The division bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya described Sheikh as the “sole cause” of the entire problem that has been prevailing in North 24 Parganas district’s Sandeshkhali where allegations of land grabbing and sexual harassment have surfaced. “This person who is said to have masterminded the entire thing is still absconding. So if he is defying law, obviously the government should not be supporting him,” observed the Court. The State Advocate General Kishore Datta however submitted that the State was not supporting the absconding TMC leader..The development took place during the hearing of a matter related to West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari’s visit to Sandeshkhali. He was permitted to visit the area by the division bench. During the hearing, Justice Sivagnanam apprised the lawyers that the suo motu case regarding the allegation of sexual assault and land grabbing would be heard by the division bench..Referring to the situation in Sandeshkhali, Justice Sivagnanam remarked that Sheikh, having remained the member of public representative as part of Zila Parishad, should come forward to address the allegations against him. “He is a public representative. In the suo matter, we will ask him to surrender here and he is a people’s representative. He cannot be defying law. Let him appear before this Court,” said the Court.It added that he should not be encouraged by the State as there was prima facie material to show he had done “damage to public”. “One person cannot hold the entire population to ransom. That person should not be encouraged by the State dispensation, that is our prima facie view,” the Court remarked. .While the Court said that it does not know whether he was being protected or not, it also remarked that the State police certainly had failed to arrest him. It could mean State police don’t have the wherewithal to arrest him or he is outside the jurisdiction, it observed.In this regard, the Court also said orders to restrict the public movement under Section 144 of Code of Criminal Procedure cannot have any impact on the situation in Sandeshkhali.It opined that such action was rather aggravating the situation there. A larger view of the matter has to be taken by the State of West Bengal, the Court added..The Court will hear the matter next on February 26.