The Supreme Court on Friday reserved order on the plea of Trinamool Congress leader SK Supiyan, who was the election agent of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram, challenging an order of the Calcutta High Court which rejected his anticipatory bail plea.
A bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao reserved the order after hearing the submission of both sides.
"We will pass an order," the court said.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Supiyan, said that his client was not named in the chargehsheet and said that the case is political and mala fide.
Additional Solicitor General Aman Lekhi opposed his plea and said that other co-accused are already in custody. Lekhi also said that interference of Calcutta HC order is unwarranted considering the nature of the case, circumstances peculiar to the accused.
The apex court was hearing an appeal filed by Trinamool Congress leader SK Supiyan.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), in its affidavit, opposed the plea filed by Supiyan and urged the court to dismiss his petition seeking relief, saying that there are cogent reasons to justify the arrest of the petitioner and his custodial interrogation to unearth a wider and larger conspiracy of planned political rioting and revenge
"Thus, as per the material and statement on record pertaining to the offence in question, there are cogent reasons to justify the arrest of the petitioner and his custodial interrogation to unearth a wider and larger conspiracy of planned political rioting and revenge," said CBI in a reply filed opposing Supiyan's plea.
The CBI told the Supreme Court that the gravity of the offences committed by Supiyan alias Suffian for which he is being investigated, the motive and intention with which such heinous offences were planned and executed by the petitioner do not entitle him from seeking any relief at this stage.
The CBI, in its reply, said that witnesses have been identified and stated the criminal conspiracy hatched by the petitioner accused on May 5, 2021 after the declaration of result of Nandigram constituency with others to teach a lesson to Hindus who voted for BJP resulting in loss of the TMC candidate in Nandigram assembly constituency.
The Supreme Court had earlier granted interim protection from arrest to Supiyan in connection with a murder case which the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has been investigating.
The CBI is probing the killing of a BJP worker in the Nandigram constituency which took place during the post-poll violence that transpired in West Bengal after the Mamata Banerjee-led All India Trinamool Congress won the state assembly polls in May 2021.
The Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into various incidents of killings and sexual assault that took place in the State allegedly at the behest of the ruling party.
( With inputs from ANI )
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