On January 5, ED officers and central force personnel were attacked by a mob when they went to the house of Shahjahan Sheikh, a TMC Zila Parishad member from Ajunjipara, in connection with its investigation into the alleged irregularities in the West Bengal Public Distribution System (PDS).

A single bench comprising Justice Jay Sengupta ordered that the High Court will monitor the investigation and without intimating the HC, the SIT will not submit the final investigation report.

The ED had moved two separate petitions at the Calcutta High Court in connection with the Sandeshkhali incident. One was filed praying for quashing of the FIR lodged at the Nazat police station in North 24 Parganas district against its officials, claiming that false allegations were made against them. The ED stated that three of its officers were injured and their belongings were snatched during the attack in Sandeshkhali.

Another petition was moved by ED lawyers S V Raju and Dhiraj Trivedi seeking a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the Sandeshkhali incident. The High Court order on Wednesday came on the ED lawyers’ petition.

Last week, while hearing one of the petitions, a single bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha ordered an interim stay on proceedings in connection with the FIR against ED officials until March 31. Justice Mantha also asked the West Bengal government to file an affidavit in this regard and sought a copy of the case diary from the state police. The court will hear the matter on January 22.

The West Bengal Police have registered three FIRs in the incident, including one against ED officers. Seven people have been arrested so far.