In a new addition to the tussle between the Centre and the West Bengal government, couple of weeks ago. Supreme Court Judge Justice L Nageswara Rao recused himself from being a part of the bench listening to the plea of CBI on being ‘obstructed’ by West Bengal authorities.
CBI has filed a contempt plea in the Supreme Court against West Bengal's Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and Kolkata Police Commissioner for wilful and deliberate violation of apex court's orders. pic.twitter.com/iA5oHKPLtb
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2019
Previously, the CBI and West Bengal Police faced-off each other at Kolkata, when CBI went to the bungalow of the then West Bengal Police Commissioner, Rajeev Kumar to arrest him in connection to the ‘alleged’ tampering of ‘evidence’ in the Saradha Chit Fund Case.
CBI pleas in SC: Supreme Court says CBI permitted to bring the material on record to support its claim that West Bengal Police Commissioner is trying to destroy evidence.
— ANI (@ANI) February 4, 2019
Resulting in a massive retaliation by the West Bengal Police as well as the CM of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, who sat on a ‘fast’ as a protest to the ‘dictatorship’ of the Narendra Modi, she claimed.
And only ended the ‘dharna’ when the Supreme Court of India directed the CBI, not to arrest Rajeev Kumar but ‘question’ him in ‘Shillong’. Mamata Banerjee cited it as ‘moral victory’.
However , the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) filed a plea in the Supreme Court of India citing that the West Bengal ‘authorities’ are creating ‘obstruction’ into the Saradha Chit Fund Case.
The CBI also alleged that Rajeev Kumar is destroying ‘electronic evidences’ in connection to the Saradha Chit Fund Case.
However, the West Bengal Police government and its police didn’t agree to the allegations of ‘obstruction’ by the CBI and further, they alleged the CBI tried to enter the house of Rajeev Kumar ‘forcefully’n 3rd February.
On Wednesday, a three-Judge bench comprising of CJI Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Rao and Justice Khanna adjourned the hearing of the plea of CBI, citing the issue that Justice Rao is not inclined to be a part of the bench hearing the matter.
Justice Rao clarified that he previously appeared as the lawyer for the state and therefore cannot hear the case.
February 27 is the date set to hear the ‘matter’ with an appropriate bench without Justice Rao in it.
On February 4, Supreme Court of India said,”if the police commissioner is even remotely trying to destroy evidence, we will come down so heavily on him that he will regret”.