20 september 2024 : On Friday, the Supreme Court criticized the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for requesting the transfer of post-poll violence cases from West Bengal to another state.
The CBI’s transfer petition prompted the court to remark, “It is very unfortunate that a central agency like the CBI has cast aspersions against the entire judiciary in West Bengal.”
The court ordered the agency to withdraw its petition, expressing serious concerns about claims in the petition suggesting hostility from all courts. “You are branding all courts in West Bengal as hostile. District judges cannot defend themselves. You are implying that trials are not conducted properly,” the court stated.
The justices threatened to issue a contempt notice to the lawyer who drafted the plea, with Justice Oka warning, “This is grounds for a contempt notice against the drafter.”
In response, additional solicitor general SV Raju, representing the CBI, asserted that there was no intention to cast doubt on the judiciary. However, the court rejected a simple withdrawal, emphasizing that the allegations were explicitly stated in the plea.
“This is all in black and white. How can you proceed like this? Your officer must first apologize for casting such aspersions on the courts in West Bengal,” the court was quoted as saying.
ASG Raju requested the court to use more lenient language, insisting that any negative implications regarding the judiciary were unintentional. The Supreme Court dismissed the CBI’s plea, allowing the agency to submit a new one.
The CBI, which began investigating the post-poll violence cases at the direction of the Calcutta High Court, had sought to move the trials out of West Bengal when it approached the Supreme Court last year. In its petition, the agency described the state’s environment as “hostile” and raised concerns about conducting fair trials. A single-judge bench had previously put the trials on hold and issued notices regarding the matter on February 14.
