Sandeshkhali: Calcutta HC Rejects Anticipatory Bail Plea of Sheikh Shahjahan In PDS Case

Kolkata: In a recent update on the Sandeshkhali row, the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court has declined the advance bail appeal lodged by Sheikh Shahjahan. Notably, Sheikh Shahjahan, the tempo

Kolkata: In a recent update on the Sandeshkhali row, the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court has declined the advance bail appeal lodged by Sheikh Shahjahan. Notably, Sheikh Shahjahan, the temporarily discharged leader of the Trinamool Congress party, is embroiled in an all-edged Public Distribution System (PDS) scam in West Bengal.

While rejecting the anticipatory bail petition, the Division Bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi observed that Shahjahan’s name surfaced in the PDS case in relation to another accused in the case, when he was in the custody of the ED.

Hence, in such a situation, anticipatory bail cannot be allowed, the Division Bench observed. This is the third time that Shahjahan’s anticipatory bail petition in the ration distribution case has been rejected.

Earlier, he filed similar anticipatory bail applications, first at a Special Court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and then at a District Court in North 24 Parganas. However, both of these courts rejected his anticipatory bail applications, following which he moved the Calcutta High Court with a similar plea.

Currently, Shahjahan is in the custody of the CBI in connection with the charges against him for masterminding the attack on ED and CAPF personnel at Sandeshkhali on January 5.

CBI Summons Shahjahan Sheikh’s Aides In Sandeshkhali

The Central Bureau of Investigation has summoned nine people, including some close aides and acquaintances of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Seikh, to appear before it on Monday in the case related to the alleged attack on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Sandeshkhali on January 5.

All the accused have been asked to appear at Nizam Palace, the CBI office in Kolkata.
Sheikh was arrested by the West Bengal police on February 29 and was produced in court yesterday, after his 10-day police custody ended.

The Basirhat Sub-Divisional Court yesterday sent Sheikh Shahjahan to four-day CBI custody in connection with the January 5 attack on the Enforcement Directorate team in Sandeshkhali.
Earlier, on the directive of the Calcutta High Court, the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of Kolkata Police handed custody of Sheikh Shahjahan to the CBI.

Issuing a contempt notice to the CID, the high court ruled on Wednesday that the case pertaining to the attack on ED officials be handed over to the CBI along with the custody of the prime accused, Shahjahan. The court further observed that state police played ‘hide and seek’ in the matter.

(With inputs from agencies)