A vacation bench of Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to file a report on the October 6 attack on BJP MP Khagen Murmu and party’s MLA Shankar Ghosh at Nagrakata, along with the case diary, on October 27 before Jalpaiguri circuit bench of the court.
The court will open on October 24 after a month-long Puja vacation.
In the hearing, the state counsel informed the court that a similar case had been filed before a division bench of the court.
“Let the cases be heard together after re-opening of the court,” the counsel pleaded.
The vacation bench, consisting of Justice Shampa Datta Paul, during the hearing asked state advocate-general, Kishore Datta, why his government was yet to hand over the case to the National Investigative Agency (NIA).
The advocate-general said: “After primary investigation, the state police will decide whether the case will be transferred to the NIA.”
Advocate-general Datta also assured the court that he would convey the state’s decision on the next date of hearing.
The order followed a public interest litigation moved by advocate Anindya
Sunder Das.
The petitioner’s lawyer sought judicial intervention in the matter as the state was yet to hand over the case to the NIA.
Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Rabishankar Chattopadhyay said: “Since a Scheduled Tribe MP (Murmu) has been attacked brutally, the case should be transferred to the NIA.”
The lawyer also sought an order asking the state government not to discriminate against people distributing relief in the flood-affected areas.
On October 6, BJP MP Murmu and MLA Ghosh were attacked by a mob, allegedly comprising Trinamool workers, when they went to visit the flood-hit zones.
In another order, Justice Shampa Datta Paul, a vacation bench judge of Calcutta High Court, on Tuesday issued an interim order restraining the police from taking any coercive step against BJP leader Arjun Singh in connection with criminal cases lodged against him, allegedly after making statements about Bengal publicly, till November 10. On November 10, a regular of the high court bench will hear the case.