The Calcutta high court on Wednesday directed that Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh, the main accused in alleged sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing at Sandeshkhali, can be arrested by the CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) or the West Bengal police.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal said the observations are completely in violation of the rights of adolescents under Article 21 of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court said on Friday it will hear on May 2 the matter involving a Calcutta high court verdict wherein the judges had advised adolescent girls 'to control sexual urges'.
Santu Pan, who works for Republic Bangla news channel, was arrested on February 19 on the basis of a complaint by a woman alleging that he had trespassed into her house in Sandeshkhali.
The Calcutta high court on Monday directed the police to arrest Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh, who has been accused of sexual atrocities and land grab by villagers in Sandeshkhali area, while clarifying there is no stay on it.
The matter was mentioned before a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta by senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, appearing for the West Bengal government, seeking an urgent hearing.
The Supreme Court on Thursday observed that certain paragraphs in a Calcutta high court verdict, which advised adolescent girls to "control sexual urges", were "problematic" and writing such judgments was "absolutely wrong".
The Supreme Court collegium has recommended the elevation of the Chief Justice of Bombay high court, Justice Dipankar Datta, as a judge of the apex court.
Calcutta HC dismisses United Bank of India's decision on technical grounds
The division bench said it deemed it appropriate to stay the special court's order and direct that the "accused person shall be treated to be in judicial custody till further orders".
The Calcutta high court on Tuesday allowed Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari to visit the restive Sandeshkhali village, while observing that it is surprising that the main accused Shajahan Sheikh has not been arrested by the state police so far.
The court said it was dissatisfied with Mishra's answers to its queries during his appearance before it in the previous hearing.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the order of the Calcutta high court handing over the probe into incidents of violence during Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal to the National Investigation Agency.
Nobel laureate Amartya Sen moved the Calcutta high court, appealing against a notice of the Visva-Bharati university that asked him to vacate 13 decimal of land at his Santiniketan residence by May 6.
The top court, however, did not stay at this stage the part of the high court order which had said that central probe agencies could quiz the Trinamool Congress general secretary in connection with these cases and fixed his plea for hearing in July.
Claiming Banerjee has been made aware that Justice Kausik Chanda, who is hearing her plea, was 'an active member of the Bharatiya Janata Party' and since the adjudication of the election petition will have political ramifications, it was prayed that the matter be assigned to another judge by the Acting Chief Justice, who is the master of roster.
It said the chief justice-led bench of the high court shall be at liberty to pass appropriate order in the petition after hearing all the objections, if any, of Adhikari both on the merits and maintainability of the plea.
Justice Jay Sengupta directed that the probe will be monitored by it and the SIT will file a progress report of the investigation on February 12, the next date of hearing in the case.
Observing that a look out circular (LOC) restricts a person's free movement and the right to travel, the Calcutta high court has said it should be issued only in exceptional circumstances.
The Enforcement Directorate on Tuesday said it has attached over a dozen properties worth Rs 12.78 crore of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Shajahan Sheikh including bank deposits, an apartment, and agricultural and fishery land in Sandeshkhali and Kolkata in West Bengal.
The court also left it to the discretion of the State Election Commission to take a call on extension of time for filing of nominations, refusing to consider a prayer in this regard.
The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has rejected a request made by Justice V M Velumani to retain her as a Madras high court judge.
"There is no other alternative to seek presence of Shri Justice C S Karnan. We issue bailable warrants of the sum of Rs 10,000 in the nature of personal bond to the satisfaction of the arresting officer," a seven-judge bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar said.
The re-appointment of the vice-chancellor of Calcutta University, which was also challenged in the PIL, has already been set aside by the high court and upheld by the Supreme Court.
Notifications announcing the appointments of Uttarakhand high court Chief Justice KM Joseph, Madras HC Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Orissa HC Chief Justice Vineet Saran to the Supreme Court were issued on Saturday.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Centre and the West Bengal government seeking their response on how to meet the requirement of security personnel for conduct of panchayat elections in the state.
The top court said if it transfers the election petition, it would be an expression of lack of faith in the entire high court.
Taking potshots at the Bharatiya Janata Party, some opposition leaders also wondered if Goel resigned to contest the Lok Sabha polls on its ticket like former Calcutta high court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay.
The court directed the State Election Commission, the state government and the central government to file affidavits dealing with all the allegations made in three petitions alleging malpractices.
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee had addressed a public meeting in Kolkata on March 29.
As a state government report said that the situation is peaceful there, no order was being passed on deployment of central forces as was sought by two petitioners, the court stated.
The apex court said the high court will be at liberty to take a fresh view on whether the investigation by the state police has been fair and proper, and if not, whether a case has been made out for the transfer of the investigation to the CBI.
The apex court had last week turned the alleged contemptuous letters written by Justice Karnan against the Madras HC Chief Justice, which were addressed to the CJI, prime minister and others, into contempt proceedings against him.
The resolution of the May 16 collegium meeting stated that there was need for deliberation on bringing the judges from the high courts, which are not represented, to the Supreme Court.
The court noted that no appreciable steps have been taken ever since an order was passed by it on June 13 to deploy central forces in sensitive areas for the poll process.
Some lawyers gathered in front of the court of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay on Wednesday morning and they were seen urging others not to attend his court.
The Calcutta high court Wednesday directed the West Bengal government to requisition central forces for assisting the state police in maintaining peace during Hanuman Jayanti celebrations.
Sodhi told the news channel that Parliament makes the law and the courts have the power of judicial review over it and added it was not right to make his opinion "political".
After an hour-long deliberation, the five-member collegium unanimously decided that Justice Joseph's name should be accompanied with the recommendation of names of other Chief Justices of high courts for elevation as judges of the Supreme Court.
The West Bengal government objected to the inclusion of the Leader of the Opposition in the committee.
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