Yesterday, On 8th July, The Supreme Court dismissed the plea by the West Bengal government seeking to suspend the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the ration scam cases. This decision upholds the CBI’s authority to investigate the alleged corruption in the state’s ration distribution system, marking a significant development in the ongoing legal and political battle.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court, on Monday dismissed the West Bengal government‘s appeal challenging a Calcutta High Court order.
The High Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate all ration scam cases, as well as incidents of sexual assault and land grabbing in Sandeshkhali.
A bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan refused to accept the arguments made by senior advocate A.M. Singhvi, who represented the West Bengal government. Singhvi asserted that the High Court‘s order against the autonomy of the state in matters of law and order, and that the state police had been investigating the ration scam cases for nearly four years.
Singhvi also argued that the ration scam cases unrelated to the Sandeshkhali cases, and that the state police had filed charge sheets in 42 of the 43 FIRs they had registered over the last four years.
The Honourable Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a comprehensive probe into all the cases related to the alleged ration scam.
This order issued based on the allegations that the primary accused, Sheikh Sahajahan, who has been in CBI custody since February 29 in the Sandeshkhali cases, closely associated with the arrested former state food minister, Jyotipriya Mallick, who was alleged to be the principal accused in the multi-crore ration scam.
Singhvi stated that video recordings exist, indicating that,
“The Sandeshkhali incidents deliberately exaggerated to tarnish the state government’s reputation.”
He argued that the High Court made an error by linking the Sandeshkhali incidents with the ration scam.
However, Justices Gaval and Viswanathan countered, saying,
“These are all related to Sandeshkhali. You (West Bengal government) did nothing for months. You did not even arrest the accused.”
When Singhvi emphasized the importance of a state’s autonomy in a federal governance structure and expressed concerns that a CBI probe into the ration scam would undermine this autonomy, the bench responded that the Supreme Court previously ruled that in appropriate cases, the High Court and Supreme Court can order a CBI investigation, even if the state has withdrawn general consent for such probes.
West Bengal had withdrawn its general consent for CBI investigations in 2018.