Two days after the Supreme Court rebuked the West Bengal administration for failing to protect the gherao of seven judicial officers, engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise, at Kaliachak-II block office and Mothabari Chowrangi more in Malda on April 1, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday registered 12 cases in the case.
“In compliance of the order of Hon’ble Supreme Court in the Suo Moto WP(Civil) No. 3/2026, dated April 6, received today, relating to the safety and security of Judicial Officers deputed for work relating to SIR of electoral rolls in Malda in West Bengal and related Law and Order incidents, today, NIA has re-registered seven FIRs of PS Mothabari and five FIRs of PS Kalichak of District Malda, West Bengal for investigation. The investigation teams of NIA, already moved to Malda for thorough investigation of these cases,” a NIA spokesperson said.
“Acting swiftly on the apex court’s orders, the NIA re-registered seven FIRs from Mothabari police station and five from Kaliachak police station in Malda district. Investigation teams have already reached the spot to conduct a thorough inquiry into the April 1 incidents, where locals allegedly gheraoed judicial officers deputed for SIR work, raising serious concerns over law and order,” a senior official said.
While 35 arrests have been made in the matter so far, the investigators are probing who planned the attack and detention of judges, seeking to identify the mastermind behind the violence.
On Monday, a bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi exercised powers under Article 142 and said the NIA will take over the probe even if the offences do not fall in the category under which the agency can take up the probe. The bench also pulled up the state’s Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala and DGP Siddh Nath Gupta over the breakdown of law and order in Malda where the judicial officers were held hostage for hours and their vehicles attacked when they were rescued. It directed Nairala to tender an apology in this regard to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court.