Calcutta High Court on Thursday made it clear that the CBI had gathered enough evidence to allow criminal proceedings to be initiated against three police officers, three members of the Todi family and an associate of the Rahman family, for their alleged role in abetting Rizwanur Rahman’s suicide.

Justice Dipankar Dutta also said the case would be sent to the appropriate court to try the accused.

“If the matter is sent to a CBI court for trial and the court finds the accused guilty of the alleged crime, they might face stiff sentences,” said a legal expert.

The CBI report claimed that the accused should be tried under sections 306, 506 and 120B of the IPC (see box).

A senior IPS officer of the city police said: “It is surprising how the report goes easy on Gyanwant Singh, only recommending department proceedings against him. He was the first one to call Rizwanur-Priyanka to Lalbazar, before forwarding the case to Ajoy Kumar. And it was on Singh’s instructions that Sukanti Chakraborty and Krishnendu Das got it on the act.”

According to him, the case would come in the way of promotion of the officers implicated in the case. Kumar and Singh are due for the DIG rank later this year.

State advocate-general Balai Ray said: “We can only contest the CBI report after knowing its contents. And according to the high court, we can only access it after the CBI registers a case in an appropriate court.”

The legal team of the cops under a cloud has decided to go on the offensive. “It’s clear that the CBI has exceeded its jurisdiction,” said Debanjan Mandal of Fox & Mandal.

The solicitor firm representing the cops is arguing that the CBI was asked to probe the cause of death, not to suggest departmental inquiry or criminal proceedings.

The Todis, too, went into wait-and-watch mode, with their legal team playing down Thursday’s developments and pinning hopes on the court proceedings of March 12.