The Supreme Court declined to entertain a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the violence in Sandeshkhali, West Bengal. Justices BV Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan cautioned the petitioner, Alakh Alok Srivastava, against equating the events in Sandeshkhali with those in Manipur. They advised him to seek relief from the Calcutta High Court instead. Srivastava subsequently withdrew his petition with permission to approach the High Court.
During the hearing, Srivastava highlighted the challenges faced by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) due to alleged assaults on their staff in West Bengal. He also raised concerns about the oppression and alleged gangrape of women in Sandeshkhali. However, the Court stressed the importance of resolving the matter through the Calcutta High Court to avoid multiple proceedings in different forums.
Srivastava voluntarily withdrew his plea following the Court’s direction, allowing him to appeal to the Calcutta High Court.
