“The State Cannot Back Him,” The Court Charges Bengal for Allegedly Escaping the Sandeshkhali Case
Image Source: India Today
In the Sandeshkhali controversy, the head of the Trinamool Congress, Sheikh Shahjahan, has been told to surrender by the Calcutta High Court.
The Calcutta High Court harshly criticized the West Bengal government on Tuesday about the disturbance in Sandeshkhali, stating that the state must not back Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh, who is missing and has been accused of sexual assault and land grabbing by multiple women.
As the court heard BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s plea for authorization to travel to Sandeshkhali, it also declared that Shahjahan Sheikh’s surrender will be required.
Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya’s division bench denied the West Bengal government’s petition but let Adhikari travel to Sandeshkhali. The Leader of the Opposition was granted permission by a single bench of the court to tour the region on Monday. Subsequently, the Bengali government appealed the decision before the division bench.
“We will ask him to surrender, let’s see what he does,” the judge stated, before adding, “What’s more important is that the person who has masterminded the whole thing is still absconding.”
“The regime of the state cannot inspire him. There is evidence to support his damage, at least on the surface,” the court declared, “The ruling dispensation should not support an individual who can hold the entire population at ransom.”
Shahjahan Sheikh and his allies were accused by a number of women in Sandeshkhali of “land-grabbing and sexually assaulting” them while they were being coerced. Following the January 5 attack on his premises by an accused mob connected to him, Shahjahan Sheikh has been missing since then. Enforcement Directorate agents had gone there to inspect his property about a ration scam.
“Even after the attack on the ED personnel and despite multiple IPC crimes against him, the state police remain unable to arrest him. Thus, the state must adopt a more comprehensive perspective on the issue,” the court ruled.
“We have observed the complaints; local women have brought up several concerns, and there has been some appropriation of tribal land. Sheikh Shahjahan is not someone who can be on the run. It is not supported by the state. We’ll ask him to turn himself in here in the suo moto affair. He can’t defy the law. He cannot be restrained, yet we are unsure if he is safe. That could indicate that he is outside the state police’s jurisdiction or that they are unable to apprehend him. Let people express themselves,” the bench said.
“The accused won’t be found guilty just because someone says something. You must look into claims even if there are a thousand bogus ones and one true one. That won’t work if you shut them out,” the court continued.
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