HC refuses plea for CBI probe into Messi event chaos at stadium
Times of India | 23 December 2025
Kolkata: The Calcutta HC on Monday refused a CBI-probe plea in the Salt Lake stadium vandalism during the Lionel Messi event, saying "investigation/inquiry cannot be transferred to CBI or any other agency on mere asking or merely because a party has levelled allegations."
The HC refused to interfere with the SIT probe and said nothing has been placed before it to "establish that investigation/inquiry is vitiated or polluted." The court said it could not fault the state on forming an inquiry panel led by an ex-HC judge also probing what led to the mess.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Partha Sarathi Sen was hearing a batch of PILs seeking a HC-monitored probe to a CBI inquiry. The HC said "only in rare and exceptional cases such directions can be issued when it can be established with accuracy and precession that present investigation/inquiry is vitiated or faulted with." On scrapping the Bengal govt inquiry panel, the HC said, "Prima facie, we are unable to hold that appointment of inquiry committee is bad in law."
The HC will continue to hear the case and is expected to hear the PILs again after Feb 16. Within the next four weeks, the HC asked the state and the event organiser to file affidavits. The HC said it found merit in the arguments that the court should probe deeper to understand if "the events had taken place by involvement of state with the organizer".
The HC asked Bidhannagar court, which is hearing the case, to allow event organiser Satadru Dutta — now in cop custody — to be allowed to sign his lawyer's vakalatnama so he is also represented in court.
During the hearings on Monday, the Bengal govt raised questions about the maintainability of PILs filed, calling it a "political gimmick". Senior counsel for state Kalyan Banerjee said the three PILs seeking a CBI probe, and in one of the PILs, the Serious Fraud Investigation Office and ED in the alleged financial corruption, were "misleading and not maintainable in law".
Banerjee said while the organisers sought 400 close-proximity passes, 27 were issued, and 373 duty passes were issued by cops. He said 12 such passes for Shah Rukh Khan were sought by an organiser, Laltu Das. There were 12 close-proximity passes issued to the intelligence branch, six to KP monitoring cell, and 25 to senior cops. "The state has no role to play apart from the law-and-order situation," Banerjee said.
Counsel representing Satadru Dutta said the organisers sent requisitions for 400 passes for people to be on the ground. Ticketing was contracted to an aggregator. "Messi was under NSG protection. The point of entry was managed by cops. Now the entire blame is being put on Dutta," the counsel said.
In case of the PIL filed by Adhikari questioning the Me-ssi statue, Banerjee said fire and emergency services minister Sujit Bose built it in his personal capacity. "How can a statue on public property be built in personal capacity?" the bench asked. The bench will hear it on Tuesday.