HC scraps 2 STF police stations in Salt Lake and Siliguri
Times of India | 24 June 2026
Kolkata: The state on behalf of Bengal Special Task force (STF), has moved a Special Leave Petition in Supreme Court challenging the order of the division bench of Calcutta High Court’s Jalpaiguri circuit bench on June 19 ruled that scrapped the two notifications issued by the state govt–one was formation of two STF police stations and second, notifying the courts that can conduct trial for the cases under these two police stations.
For now, the Bengal STF has stopped lodging FIRs – mostly related to narcotics, FICN and illegal arms – instead lodging them at the respective police stations even as they are confident that the earlier lodged FIRs will not be affected. “We are looking at an early resolution,” said a top official.
Earlier, in a detailed order the division bench of Justice Sabyasachi Bhattacharyya and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya held that there are already district wise special courts to deal with sections of BNS and special acts like Arms and NDPS.
It was held that having separate criminal courts which are local to the STF police stations will create multiplicity in litigation. Moreover, it was pointed out that if a person was held for a crime under multiple sections, some of it outside the purview of the STF specific court, then it will create problems.
Another issue flagged in the HC order was problems of travelling to these two specific areas for hearing by witnesses and litigants, making it “absurd.”
The HC had a similar opinion on the two police stations created. “The STF cannot be treated to be a separate entity divorced from the rest of the police-establishment and be assigned separate and dedicated police stations, unlike any other division, department, company, or special force created within the police-establishment,” the division bench held.
Further it was pointed out, “No statute empowers the Government (read Executive) to create any statute/offence-specific police stations or local areas of such police stations. To do so, a specific legislation is required.”
Jalpaiguri Bar Association members had moved court against the two notifications issued on Jan 30, 2025 and Feb 10, 2025–first dealing with formation of police stations–Siliguri STF Headquarter police station and Salt Lake STF Headquarter police station–second with the jurisdiction of criminal courts dealing with it.
The local area of Salt Lake PS was spread across south Bengal and Siliguri PS was spread across north Bengal. In the Feb 10, 2025, notification, these two STF police stations were brought under criminal courts. Salt Lake STF headquarter PS came under jurisdiction was ACJM, Bidhannagar and ADJ Special Court, West Bengal (MP and MLA cases) at Bidhannagar, North 24 Parganas. The ACJM Siliguri and ADJ-II at Siliguri, Darjeeling were designated as the trial courts for conducting trials of all sessions cases for the STF Siliguri Police Station.
The STF was formed around five and a half years ago to combat modern urban organised crimes such as terrorism, organised gangs, illegal arms, ammunition, drugs, and FICN across the state.
“The biggest advantage was that we got a designated court along with the police stations. This saved us the trouble of producing the accused at multiple courts across the state. The interrogation process and subsequent progress in the probe became faster too,” stated a senior officer who coordinates operations in south Bengal.
The importance was felt even more after multiple arrests from south Bengal recently related to the Bangladeshi terror organizations like ABT and JMB and in north Bengal related to the KLO outfit.
“We will be citing the example of Kolkata Police STF PS and the Special Cell PS of Delhi Police. There are certain technical issues involved and we are taking all legal help to tide over the same,” said an officer.