Court Setback For Bengal Over NIA Probe In Ram Navami Violence Cases

The West Bengal government's request to undo the Calcutta High Court's order for a probe by the anti-terror agency NIA into the Ram Navami violence cases has been dismissed by the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court said it "won't entertain" Bengal's challenge against the handing over of the Ram Navami violence cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and dismissed the Mamata Banerjee government's petition.

"...we are not inclined to entertain the Special Leave Petition (SLP)," a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said, news agency PTI reported.

The high court's order came in April after Bengal BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari filed a request seeking an investigation by the NIA into the violence cases.

The court had also directed the state police to transfer all records and CCTV footage to the central government so that the NIA can look into them.

The Bengal government had objected to the high court's order transferring the probe to the NIA, saying no explosives were used in the violence, and that the direction was passed on a "politically-motivated" petition filed by Mr Adhikari.

Several vehicles were set on fire, stones thrown and shops ransacked as clashes between two groups broke out in Howrah's Shibpur during Ram Navami celebrations in March. Clashes were later reported at Rishra in Hooghly district and Dalkhola in Uttar Dinajpur district as well.