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Retired Calcutta high court CJ to head SIT probe Bengal post-poll violence
On August 19, a five-judge bench of the high court headed by acting chief justice Rajesh Bindal ordered separate probes by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a state police SIT
The Calcutta high court on Friday appointed retired chief justice of Calcutta high court, Manjula Chellur, as the head of the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which the court set up to probe allegations of post-poll violence in West Bengal.
On August 19, a five-judge bench of the high court headed by acting chief justice Rajesh Bindal ordered separate probes by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and a state police SIT.
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The bench also ordered that the SIT probe be monitored by the court and overviewed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court. However, the bench has now appointed Chellur as the SIT head. The court has already put in place a three-member SIT comprising senior IPS officers from the state.
On Thursday, the state government appointed 10 IPS officers to assist SIT in probing cases of arson and loot during the alleged post-poll violence in May, as mandated by the Calcutta HC.
Meanwhile, the CBI, which is probing more serious crimes, like murder and rape, during post-poll violence, has arrested two persons and registered 34 first information reports (FIRs). On Thursday, the agency filed its first charge sheet in connection with the murder of a Bharatiya Janata Party worker in Birbhum district in May.
On Wednesday, the state government moved the Supreme Court against the high court order of a CBI probe.
