CBI gets Sandeshkhali prime accused Shahjahan Sheikh's custody
CBI on Wednesday evening got the custody of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh from CID after a fresh directive by the Calcutta High Court.
The court ordered CID to hand over Sheikh, the alleged prime accused in the attack on ED officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5, to CBI by 4:15 pm.
However, Sheikh was reportedly taken by the CID team to the state-run hospital SSKM through the backdoor of Bhabani Bhawan (police headquarters), people in the know told ET. CID finally gave official custody of Sheikh to CBI at 7 pm.
A division bench presided by justice Harish Tandon upheld Tuesday's order of chief justice TS Sivagnanam, saying that Sheikh has to be handed over to CBI by 4:15 pm. ED also moved a contempt petition before justice Tandon's bench against the state government, saying that it did not implement Tuesday's orders of a bench led by chief justice Sivagnanam.
The court noted that though the state pleaded that it has filed before Supreme Court an SLP challenging Tuesday's judgement, there is no interim stay granted on the implementation of the orders till the time it was passing its order. «Justice Harish Tandon's bench has given specific direction. But Trinamool Congress is flouting the court order. Trinamool is standing in the way between Sheikh and CBI. The state government is trying every avenue, so that the President's rule is implemented and they will take advantage of the sentiments,» veteran advocate and CPI-M leader Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said earlier in the day.
Sheikh was
