Sandeshkhali Row: CBI, ED Can Also Arrest TMC Leader Shahjahan Sheikh Apart From State Police, Says Calcutta HC

The Calcutta High Court issued a directive on Wednesday allowing for the arrest of Shahjahan Sheikh, a prominent figure from the Trinamool Congress, who is implicated as the primary accused in cases involving sexual offenses against women and allegations of land grabbing in Sandeshkhali.

The court specified that the arrest could be carried out by either the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the Enforcement Directorate (ED), or the West Bengal Police. This decision comes in response to a request made by the state's advocate general to clarify the court's previous order dated February 26, which initially mandated Sheikh's arrest solely by the police authority.

A division bench presided by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam clarified that the court in its February 7 order had only stayed the constitution of a joint special investigation team (SIT) of the CBI and West Bengal Police by a single bench to probe an attack on ED officials.

The division bench emphasized that the CBI or the ED are fully authorized to apprehend Shajahan Sheikh, who has been evading authorities for a significant duration. This directive comes as Sheikh remains a fugitive from justice. 

In a separate incident, on January 5,  ED officials encountered hostility from a nearly 1,000-member mob in Sandeshkhali, located in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas district. The confrontation unfolded as the officials attempted to conduct a search at Sheikh's premises as part of an investigation into an alleged ration distribution scam within the state.