New Delhi, January 3
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the West Bengal government’s petition challenging the Calcutta High Court’s order protecting BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari from any coercive action in criminal cases registered against him by the state police.
The single judge’s order of the high court was challenged before it and it had already passed an order on merits, a Bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud told senior advocate Maneka Guruswamy, representing the West Bengal government.
“Now, we can’t go into the same issue again and again. Sorry, we cannot entertain this,” it said.
Guruswamy said that on December 13 last year, the top court had not expressed any opinion on merit and that a similar issue was pending before it and therefore, the court may issue notice and tag it along with that matter. But the court didn’t oblige her.
Earlier, the Calcutta High Court had stayed criminal proceedings against the BJP leader in three cases—his bodyguard’s death, an alleged political clash in Nandigram and a case of snatching lodged in Contai, Nandigram and Panskura police stations in Purba Medinipur district.
Another Bench of the court adjourned Adhikari’s plea for transfer of TMC leader and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s petition pending in Calcutta HC challenging his electoral victory over her at Nandigram to a High Court outside the state.
