The legal tug-of-war intensified as the Bengal government declined to surrender custody of Sheikh Shahjahan to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) following a Calcutta High Court directive, due to a simultaneous appeal to the Supreme Court. The Calcutta High Court had declared the Bengal police’s actions biased and accentuated the necessity for an impartial probe into the allegations of extortion, land grabbing, and sexual assaults attributed to the former Trinamool Congress leader from Sandeshkhali, Sheikh Shahjahan.
The court’s 4:30 pm deadline passed without compliance, as confirmed by an empty-handed CBI team departing from Bengal police headquarters. The state’s immediate hearing request was declined by the top court, which instead advised following standard procedure. Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam then commanded a case transfer to the CBI, dismissing a joint investigative team formation previously established. Sheikh Shahjahan, who erstwhile absconded since January 5 following an attack on Enforcement Directorate officials, was finally apprehended and suspended from his party after 55 days at large, an arrest coming in the wake of the High Court’s decree.
While the opposition BJP criticized the ruling Trinamool for its alleged protection of Shahjahan, the involvement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his Bengal visit highlighted the contentiousness of the issue. The CBI move, the subsequent arrest, and the High Court’s censure portrayed the escalated legal confrontation, with a court noting Shahjahan’s significant public influence necessitated a CBI-led investigation. Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate attached assets worth Rs 12.78 crore in connection with the case.