On Monday, the Supreme Court took a decisive step by transferring all petitions linked to the clash between two benches of the Calcutta High Court to itself. The disagreement revolved around the initiation of a CBI investigation into suspected irregularities concerning the issuance of caste certificates for candidates vying for reserved category seats.
A Constitution bench, led by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, B R Gavai, Surya Kant, and Aniruddha Bose, made this decision. The bench directed the completion of pleadings within three weeks, scheduling a hearing for the transferred cases at that time.
In an unprecedented move, the top court bench convened on January 27, even during a holiday, to address the dispute. The conflict arose when a judge, in defiance, opposed a division bench's order that had nullified his directive for a CBI investigation. Instead, the division bench instructed the central agency to proceed with the inquiry.
To alleviate the complex judicial situation, the bench, on a later date, decided to intervene and halt all proceedings in the ongoing dispute between the two benches of the Calcutta High Court regarding the initiation of a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities. Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay accused his colleague, Justice Soumen Sen of the division bench, of prioritizing the interests of West Bengal's ruling party overruling his order for a CBI probe. The Supreme Court's involvement is expected to bring clarity and resolution to this contentious issue.
(With Agency Inputs)
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