Supreme Court agrees to consider listing PIL seeking court-monitored probe into Sandeshkhali violence

New Delhi, February 16

The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to consider urgent listing of a PIL seeking a court-monitored CBI/SIT probe into alleged sexual violence against women in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali village.

Sandeshkhali, a village in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, has been witnessing protests over allegations of sexual abuse of women by a local TMC leader. Several women have accused local Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters of land-grab and sexually assaulting them under coercion. Shajahan has been absconding after a mob, allegedly affiliated to him, attacked Enforcement Directorate officials who had gone to search his premises in connection with a corruption case.

As petitioner lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava mentioned his PIL before a Bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud for urgent listing, the CJI askled “Have you sent an email (seeking urgent lising)? ”

“I will deal with this in the afternoon”, the CJI told Srivastava after the latter answered in the affirmative.

Srivastava has also sought compensation for victims of the Sandeshkhali violence and action against officials of the West Bengal Police for alleged dereliction of duty.

Apart from a CBI/SIT probe and transfer of case and subsequent trial outside West Bengal, he has also sought an inquiry by a three-judge committee into the matter as was done in the Manipur violence case.