Sandeshkhali row: No relief for Sheikh Shahjahan, faces arrest

The Calcutta High Court on Monday has sought no relief for Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan, accused on the charges of sexual assault and molestation of women in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali. The court has directed the agencies to arrest him.

Enforcement Directorate (ED), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and West Bengal home secretary have been be impleaded as parties in the suo motu matter by the court.

The development from the court has come after Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday made a surprising claim that the Bengal government is unable to arrest Shahjahan because the court had "tied the hands the police".

Meanwhile, Basirhat SP HM Rehman said that police have registered FIR against Sheikh Shahjahan based on several complaints. 

Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam's division bench ordered the high court registry to publish a notice in newspapers announcing that Sheikh had been entered into the case. Sheikh has been missing since a mob attack on ED officials on January 5.

The division bench responded to a request for clarity from a court-appointed amicus curiae over whether Sheikh can be arrested by police and whether there is a stay of that kind.

In addition, the court stated that it had simply put a hold on the formation of a joint CBI and state police special investigation team, which was mandated by a single bench to look into the attack on ED staff.

The division bench, which included Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya, ordered a rescheduling of the case for March 6.