Judicial Officials Held Hostage in West Bengal: Supreme Court Responds
Incident in Malda Raises Concerns
In Malda, West Bengal, a protest over the removal of names from the voter list led to the detention of seven judicial officials for nearly nine hours. Following this incident, Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud took note of the situation on Thursday. The court remarked that this event appears to be a deliberate conspiracy aimed at undermining the morale of judicial officials and disrupting the ongoing electoral process.
Political Polarization in West Bengal
The Chief Justice expressed sharp criticism regarding the political climate in West Bengal, stating that unfortunately, every issue in the state becomes political. He emphasized that it is the most polarized state in the country, noting that he was monitoring the situation until 2 AM and found it deeply unfortunate.
Deliberate Intimidation of Judicial Officials
The court characterized the Malda incident as an open attempt to intimidate judicial officials and challenge the dignity of the judiciary. According to the court, this seems to be a 'calculated and motivated action' intended to obstruct the proceedings related to the voter list revision.
Criminal Negligence by State Administration
The bench stated that they would not allow anyone to take the law into their own hands and intimidate judicial officials mentally, warning that this could also constitute criminal contempt. The court expressed deep disappointment over the state administration's failure, labeling the responses from the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police (DGP), Superintendent of Police (SP), and District Collector as 'extremely condemnable.'
Failure to Fulfill Duties by State Officials
The bench, which included Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipin Sanghi, indicated that this incident reflects the state government's neglect of its duties. The court questioned why officials did not ensure a safe evacuation despite being informed and warned against attempts to psychologically pressure judicial officials. The Chief Justice noted that the collector had not arrived until 11 PM, necessitating strict verbal instructions from him.
Delayed Action Despite Alerts
The court revealed that the siege began around 3:30 PM, yet no decisive action was taken until late evening, despite the Kolkata High Court maintaining constant communication. Neither the District Magistrate nor the Superintendent of Police arrived at the scene, forcing the Chief Justice of the High Court to contact the DGP and Home Secretary directly. The officials were only evacuated after midnight and faced attacks with stones and sticks while exiting.
Supreme Court Directives
The Supreme Court has instructed the Election Commission of India to take the following actions: deploy central forces for the protection of judicial officials and their families, assess potential threats to their families, allow officials to perform their duties without obstruction, set limits on crowd sizes at hearing locations, and request compliance reports from top state officials.