The Calcutta High Court transferred seven high-profile cases to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in less than two months.
From alleged teacher recruitment scams in which former West Bengal Education Minister Partha Chatterjee was summoned to the Birbhum massacre in which seven people were burned alive, these cases were transferred to the CBI. The order of the Calcutta High Court raises concerns about the neutrality and capabilities of the state government’s investigative agencies.
The first case was when the Calcutta High Court ordered the CBI to look into the alleged illegal appointment of assistant teachers for the West Bengal State Level Selection Test (SLST) for Class 9 and Class 10. The case was handed over to the CBI on February 28, 2022. However, Partha Chatterjee was summoned to appear before the CBI in connection with the investigation. The division bench imposed a stay order.
The next case to be transferred was the infamous Bogtui massacre in Birbhum, in which seven people were burnt to death in a house following the murder of a local Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader.
READ | Birbhum arson: Why Bengal remains prone to political violence
The shooting of Tapan Kundu, a Congress councillor in Jhalda in Purulia, and the mysterious death of the eyewitness were also turned over to the CBI.
The CBI was also asked to investigate the alleged illegal appointment of Group D staff to the SSC, or School Service Commission.
The latest addition was the death and alleged rape of a 14-year-old girl in Hashkhali, Nadia. The girl later died and was cremated without a death certificate, raising numerous questions about the case.
Former Supreme Court judge Ashok Ganguly told India Today that such a decision shows that people are losing faith in the state administration.
“The first duty of the state is to implement the rule of law. Anyone who commits a crime should be held accountable.People are losing faith in the state administration. Stern action should be taken against crime,” said Justice Ganguly.
READ | People losing faith in administration: Former SC judge on Calcutta HC handing cases to CBI
TMC vs BJP
The transfer of the cases to the CBI has repeatedly sparked a political debate between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, with both parties taking jabs at each other.
“Law and order has failed in the state. People have lost faith in the government and police. People are going to court and the court is handing cases to the CBI,” said BJP national vice president Dilip Ghosh.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress was quick to react. Taking a cue from the Chief Justice of India’s statement on the CBI, Trinamool’s Kunal Ghosh questioned the CBI’s neutrality.
“The court is giving the cases to the CBI, but the CJI himself says that the CBI has to get out of political hands. The CJI himself doesn’t have faith in the CBI. The CBI is not neutral. They questioned and arrested TMC leaders in Narada, but did nothing when it came to Suvendu Adhikari,” said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
READ | BJP doesn’t have faith in CBI: TMC on saffron party’s ‘fact-finding’ team to probe Nadia rape case
While the CBI has been investigating the various cases handed over to them, many people have expressed concern about how long it will take the CBI to complete the investigation.
India Today spoke with one of the candidates in the SSC recruitment case. Amit Ghosh, 28, moved from Murshidabad to Kolkata in search of work. He is still looking for the government position for which he appears to be qualified but was never hired.
Ghosh’s initial ranking was 72, but when the merit list was released a year later, he was ranked 75th. Meanwhile, candidates with rankings ranging from 91 to 100 were hired, but he was not.
A question was raised about whether or not a CBI investigation would be beneficial.
“Even if the investigation is ongoing, I will be unable to assist my family members. We want the people who have been listed to get the job. CBI or state administration, we want our jobs,” said Ghosh.
READ | Calcutta HC orders CBI probe in Bengal teen’s rape, murder case
READ | Silence shrouds Bengal village as Nadia rape victim’s family lives in fear
Source: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/west-bengal/story/calcutta-high-court-chooses-cbi-over-bengal-police-in-major-cases-1937950-2022-04-15
