Calcutta HC puts CBI's Nandigram probe on hold

The Calcutta High Court today refused continuation of the CBI enquiry into the March 14 police firing at Nandigram for the time being, and asked the investigating agency to preserve all evidence in sealed covers. The HC has adjourned the matter for three weeks.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice S S Nijjar and Justice P C Ghose did not allow petitioner Kalyan Banerjee's plea that CBI be directed to continue its inquiry as it observed that it would decide on the need of it only after studying all affidavits filed by the state government and petitioners in the matter.

The bench, which was flooded with a number of affidavits and petitions filed by several NGOs and individual lawyers, said that it needed time to go through all the claims and counter-claims before deciding on the issue.

The CBI had submitted an inquiry report before the court on March 22 on the police firing that claimed 14 lives.

Chief Justice Nijjar, taking note of West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi's statement and media reports after the Nandigram incident, had suo moto directed the CBI to conduct an enquiry.