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An advocate moved the Supreme Court seeking transfer of investigation and subsequent trial outside West Bengal in connection with the alleged sexual assault on women in Sandeshkhali.
The plea has been moved by Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava who also sought a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the apex court monitoring. He called the incident deeply disturbing and expressed a reasonable apprehension that the free and fair investigation and trial of the instant case can not be done in West Bengal and hence, the same deserves to be transferred outside the state of West Bengal in the interest of justice. "The inaction of the local police authorities is evident from the fact that the said main accused Sheikh Shahjahan is absconding and has not been arrested till now. Furthermore, there are serious allegations of the local police authorities acting hand in glove with the said main accused Sheikh Shahjahan at the behest of the ruling dispensation and thus, it is further in the interest of justice to transfer the investigation of this case to Central Bureau of Investigation ("CBI") or a Special Investigation Team ("SIT") under the monitoring of this (Supreme Court) court," the plea stated. Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, in his PIL, also sought to form a Committee of three retired Judges of High Courts, in line with the committee formed in the Manipur atrocity case. He urged the top court to issue directions to grant compensation to the victims of the sexual assault in Sandeshkhali under the relevant victim compensation scheme and deploy central paramilitary forces for the protection of the witnesses/victims concerned. He also sought direction to conduct the trial in the case upon completion of the investigation, in a Fast-Track court in Delhi, in an expeditious and time-bound manner and issue direction to the West Bengal government to initiate stringent disciplinary action as well as penal action against the 'erring policemen'. Women in Sandeshkhali have been up in arms against the ruling TMC over the last few days, claiming excesses and atrocities by fugitive strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides. (ANI)
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