Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Apr 9: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered 12 cases to probe the gherao of judicial officers in West Bengal’s Malda district, following directions from the Supreme Court of India.

In an official statement, the NIA said it has re-registered seven FIRs from Mothabari police station and five from Kalichak police station in Malda for detailed investigation into the incident linked to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Investigation teams have already reached Malda to begin the probe.

The apex court had earlier ordered the central agency to take over the cases, taking serious note of the incident in which seven judicial officers, including women and a child, were allegedly held captive by a mob for over nine hours without food or water during the SIR exercise in the Kaliachowk area.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, invoked its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to transfer the cases to the NIA, terming the episode a serious breakdown of law and order.

The court observed that the incident reflected a “complete failure of the state administration” and amounted to an attempt to intimidate judicial officers and undermine the authority of the judiciary. It also pulled up the state machinery, directing West Bengal Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala to apologise to the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice for failing to respond during the crisis.

The bench further ordered the West Bengal Police to hand over all 26 arrested accused, along with case records, to the NIA, expressing lack of confidence in the local investigation. It noted that the attack appeared to be “well-planned and motivated”, and directed the agency to interrogate the alleged masterminds behind the incident.

According to submissions before the court, key accused including Mofakerrul Islam and Maulana Muhammad Shahjahan Ali Qadri are already in custody.

The court also highlighted that even after the judicial officers were rescued, their vehicles were attacked with stones and sticks, underlining the gravity of the situation.

Around 700 judicial officers from West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand are currently deployed for the SIR exercise, which involves handling over 60 lakh objections related to electoral rolls in the state.