NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the proceedings of trial courts in West Bengal in connection with the incidents of alleged violence in the aftermath of the 2021 state assembly polls.
After the results of the Assembly elections in West Bengal in May 2021, several persons who had to flee their houses due to the violence approached the High Court, claiming that they were not being allowed to return home by the ruling All India Trinamool Congress.
The top court was hearing a transfer petition filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which sought that the cases be heard anywhere outside West Bengal.
The CBI alleged that witnesses and counsel were being threatened. The agency said this is obstructing the course of justice amidst inaction by state authorities despite complaints.
The bench sought responses of the state government and parties in the original cases. The Director General of Police, West Bengal, is asked to ensure compliance with the order.
“Meanwhile, further proceedings of the trial referred to in the prayer clause on page 58 onwards of the instant petition shall remain stayed,” the court said. Similarly, the state government had filed a plea alleging that the CBI has been proceeding with probe without a statutory nod from the state.
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