Calcutta High Court admits PIL on Lalgarh firing, Centre backs

The Calcutta High Court today admitted a PIL, which the Centre supported, seeking a CBI investigation into the the firing at Lalgarh in West Midnapore district on January seven.

Noting that the police had reached several hours late and an FIR was lodged about 11 hours after the firing in which seven villagers were shot dead and several seriously injured, a division bench comprising Chief Justice J N Patel and Justice Asim Ray directed the state to submit the case diary in the court tomorrow.

The court directed the state to send a DIG-level police officer to the Lalgarh police station and get the documents for submission to the court.

The Bar Association of Calcutta High Court moved the PIL seeking a CBI investigation claiming that any probe by the state authorities would not be impartial.

Appearing for the government of India, Additional Solicitor General Farooq M Razzak submitted that the state government has not been able to take any action to contain violence despite several letters by the Union Home Minister. He submitted that as such, given the situation, the government of India supported the prayer for a CBI probe.

Appearing for the Bar Association, senior counsel Sukhendu Sekhar Roy submitted that the Governor of West Bengal had described the incident as a carnage and asked the government to begin to act decisively.