NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday in its order refused to entertain a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by a lawyer, Alakh Alok Srivastava, seeking a court-monitored Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Special Investigation (SIT) probe, along with compensations for the victims into the alleged violence and sexual assault cases in West Bengal's Sandeshkhali village.
The apex court's two-judge bench, headed by Justice B V Nagarathna and also comprising Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, said that the Calcutta High Court had already taken suo moto cognisance and seized of the matter and thereby it refused to pass any order into the PIL filed by the lawyer, Alakh Alok Srivastava.
He sought to withdraw the PIL with liberty to approach the calcutta HC, and the Apex Court allowed his prayer to withdrew the same.
During the course of the hearing today, Srivastava pleaded to the Apex Court that the SC should appropriately direct the CBI or SIT kind of prove into rye matter, citing that the Sandeshkhali violence amd alleged sexual assault cases were falling like sexual violences against women in Manipur.
Hearing his argument, the Apex Court strongly objected to it and observed, please do not compare this (Sandeshkhali case) with what happened in Manipur.
The Court said the petitioner (Srivastava) can approach the Calcutta High Court for relief.
The lawyer-cum-petitoner Srivastava, in his Public Interest Litigation (PIL) sought a direction from the Top Court for compensation for the victims of the Sandeshkhali violence and action against officials of the West Bengal Police for alleged dereliction of duty. Srivastava, also sought a direction from the Apex Court to transfer of the probe and subsequent trial outside West Bengal. The plea also sought an inquiry by a three-judge committee, like, in the Manipur violence case.
It is to be noted that Sandeshkhali, a village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, had recently witnessed severe protests over violence and allegations of sexual abuse of women by a local TMC leader.
Meanwhile in another development on the Sandeshkhali case, the SC had on Monday stayed further proceedings on a notice issued by the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee, to West Bengal officials, including the chief secretary and director general of police, to appear before it over a complaint lodged by BJP MP, Sukanta Majumdar.
Majumdar had complained to the parliamentary committee about a breach of privilege as an MP after he was allegedly injured last week during protests in Sandeshkhali where leaders of the ruling Trinamool Congress have been accused of sexually assaulting women villagers.
