A single bench judge of Calcutta High Court today recused himself from hearing the sensitive Parui murder case, where an independent panchayat member was murdered and a district level Trinamool Congress leader was one of the accused.
Justice Dipankar Dutta recused himself from hearing the case citing personal reasons.
Justice Dutta had on April 11 made caustic observations against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee while hearing the matter.
The comments were expunged by a division bench headed by Chief Justice Arun Mishra on a plea by the state government.
On April 28, the Supreme Court had dismissed an appeal by Hridoy Ghosh, son of the slain panchayat member Sagar Ghosh, challenging a stay given by a division bench of Calcutta High Court on personal appearance of the state's director general of police.
The Supreme Court had sent back the case to the high court division bench headed by Chief Justice Arun Mishra.
The division bench, while expunging the judicial notice taken by Justice Dutta, said that such observations could not be made on the basis of newspaper reports.
It had also directed that the DGP, who had been summoned by Justice Dutta, would not be required to be present in the instant case.
The division bench had sent the matter back to Justice Dutta.
Following the order, the matter was scheduled to be heard today before Justice Dutta.
Birbhum district Trinamool Congress president Anubrata Mondal is one of the 41 accused in the murder of Sagar Ghosh in July 2013 at Parui in Birbhum district.
Hridoy Ghosh had moved the high court seeking an independent investigation into the case.
