Bengal panchayat polls: State challenges Calcutta HC order on CBI probe at higher bench

Kolkata: West Bengal government, on Thursday, approached a division bench of the Calcutta High Court, challenging a single-judge bench's order directing a CBI probe against a block development officer accused of tampering with the nomination documents of two candidates for the July 8 panchayat elections.

On Wednesday, the single- judge bench Justice Amrita Sinha gave this direction for CBI probe following a petition filed by two candidates at Uluberia in Howrah district namely Kashmira Bibi and Omja Bibi against the local block development officer accusing the latter of tempering with their nomination documents.

The two candidates have alleged in their petition that the nomination got cancelled at the scrutiny phase because of the alleged tampering of the documents.

Responding to it, the state government approached the Calcutta High Court's division bench of Justice Arijit Banerjee challenging the decision of Justice Sinha's single-judge bench. The state government has also appealed for a fast-track hearing in the matter. The matter will come up for hearing at the division bench on Friday.

While giving the order, Justice Sinha also observed that since the allegations are against a state government official it will not be wise for a state investigation agency to probe the matter and hence the charge of the probe is handed over to CBI.

She also directed the CBI to submit a detailed report on this count to her court by July 7, which is just a day ahead of the rural civic body polls in the state.

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari has claimed that the entire 13th floor of the state secretariat of Nabanna, which houses the chief minister's office, should be brought under the purview of the CBI probe to identify what other malpractices had taken place over the rural civic body polls.