In an embarrassment to the State government the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the Director-General of Police, West Bengal to appear before it in connection with the ongoing murder probe by a special investigation team (SIT) where a senior All India Trinamool Congress leader is an accused.
Expressing displeasure over the SIT filing a charge sheet before a trial court without informing the High Court, Justice Harish Tandon directed the DGP to appear during the next hearing on September 4. The Court also said it wants to know from the DGP G M P Reddy about the progress in the investigations into the murder case.
The court passed the order on a petition demanding probe by an independent agency into the murder of Sagar Ghosh, father of an independent panchayat member Hridoy Ghosh. Mr Ghosh was killed in July 2013 days after district AITC Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal incited party workers to resort to violence against independent candidates
The High Court had set up the SIT and the DGP is head of the SIT. The SIT had submitted a charge sheet before a trial court at Suri in connection with the murder last month.
Justice Dipankar Datta, who was hearing the matter earlier, had issued a similar order but the State government obtained a stay after filing an appeal with a division bench. Later Justice Datta withdrew from the case citing personal reasons.
In another significant development, a division bench of Justice Pranab Kumar Chattopadhay and Justice Samapti Chatterjee directed three IPS officers who have sought exemption from appearing before commission of inquiry probing the July 21,1993 police firing to appear before the Commission of Inquiry.
