The Supreme Court on Monday directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to complete its probe within two months into the April 1 violence in West Bengal’s Malda district, where a mob illegally confined seven judicial officers for over nine hours.
“What is the position of investigation? Is it complete?” a Bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi asked during the hearing.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the NIA, informed the court that a detailed status report would be filed.
“We are, however, of the view that the NIA should complete the investigation at the earliest, preferably within a period of two months. You file your charge sheet. The law will take its own course,” the Bench told Raju.
On April 24, the apex court had permitted the NIA to file its charge sheet after completion of the investigation.
Earlier, the Bench had also sought to know whether those arrested by the NIA in connection with the April 1 gherao had any political background. “This has to be taken to a logical conclusion,” the CJI had observed.
Around 700 judicial officers from West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand had been deployed for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to deal with more than 60 lakh objections raised by people excluded from voter lists.
The Supreme Court had taken suo motu cognisance of a letter written by the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, detailing the events of April 1, when seven judicial officers — including three women — and a five-year-old child were allegedly held captive by a mob for more than nine hours without food or water.
The NIA later took over the investigation on a complaint filed by the Election Commission, following directions from the apex court.
On April 13, the Bench had also ordered that the security cover provided to judicial officers engaged in the SIR exercise in West Bengal would continue until the conclusion of the Assembly elections and could not be withdrawn without prior permission of the court.
