Supreme Court Declines Plea on Murshidabad Violence Probe

The Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear a plea requesting a special investigation team, led by a retired judge, to probe the Murshidabad violence in West Bengal. The unrest followed protests against the newly-amended Waqf law. A bench, consisting of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh, urged petitioner Satish Kumar Aggarwal to seek relief from the high court instead, allowing him to file the petition online.

Justice Kant addressed advocate Barun Kumar Sinha, representing the petitioner, stating the Supreme Court was disinclined to take up the case under Article 32 of the Constitution unless it involved multiple states. The bench criticized the practice of bypassing high courts, emphasizing that it undermines their authority.

The petitioner expressed concerns for his safety if he approached the high court, citing past harassment of lawyers handling similar violence cases in the state. The bench suggested virtual filings and instructed the high court's registrar to facilitate the process. Aggarwal's petition highlighted bias by police and administrative bodies, asserting an urgent need to uphold law and order and identify those responsible for the communal violence after the Waqf Act amendment.

(With inputs from agencies.)