New Delhi: In a significant development in the Ram Navami violence case, the Supreme Court firmly rejected the West Bengal government’s plea challenging the Calcutta High Court’s decision to hand over the probe of Ram Navami violence incidents to the National Investigation Agency. This ruling, headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, demonstrated the court’s commitment to upholding the nation’s safety.
The court rightfully noted that the validity of the centre’s notification under Section 6(5) of the NIA Act was not contested, emphasising the government’s authority to direct the NIA to investigate scheduled offences when necessary. The judiciary refused to interfere at this stage and rightfully refrained from determining the sufficiency or truth of the allegations, focusing solely on whether the Central government’s exercise of jurisdiction was within its conferred powers.
The conflict emerged when the Calcutta High Court ordered an NIA probe into the violence that occurred during and after the Ram Navami festivities in several West Bengal districts. BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the state legislature, and three others had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking an NIA investigation.
Contrary to the West Bengal administration’s claims, the high court’s ruling was based on genuine concerns about probable breaches of the Explosive Substances Act. While the state government denied using explosives in the cases, the NIA’s testimony before the Supreme Court revealed that the Explosive Substances Act was referenced in two of the state police’s six FIRs.
Despite initial objections, the Supreme Court upheld the high court’s order and directed the state police to cooperate fully with the NIA by providing all relevant materials within two weeks. This decision ensured a seamless and comprehensive investigation into the matter.
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