In a setback to the Mamata Banerjee government, the Calcutta High Court on Friday ordered the CBI to hand over the probe into the killings in West Bengal’s Birbhum district’s Bogtui village. Violence broke out just hours after the killing of a Trinamool Congress panchayat leader Bhadu Sheikh, in which eight people were burnt alive. The court had taken suo motu cognizance of the Birbhum violence case. At the same time, the court has directed the CBI to submit a preliminary report in this case on April 7.
Unlike the NIA, the CBI cannot take suo motu cognizance of a case in the state, whether it is a case of corruption involving central government officials and PSU employees, or an incident of violent crime. Whether there is corruption in the state government or an incident of crime, the state will have to request the CBI for investigation, which will be agreed to by the Centre.
If no such recommendation for investigation is made by the State Government, then on the basis of the order of the High Court or the Supreme Court, the CBI can take up the matter in its own hands.