SC Judge Recuses from Hearing Plea by Kin of 2 BJP Workers Killed in Bengal in Poll Violence

Supreme Court Judge Justice Indira Banerjee on Friday recused from hearing a plea field by kin of two BJP workers, who were killed in poll related violence on May 2 in West Bengal, seeking court monitored probe and transfer of cases to CBI or Special Investigation Team. The vacation bench, also comprising Justice MR Shah, ordered, “List the matter before another bench in which Justice Banerjee is not part.” The top court on May 18 had agreed to hear the matter and sought responses from Centre and West Bengal government on the plea filed by Biswajit Sarkar, whose elder brother was killed and co-petitioner Swaranalata Adhikari, whose husband was killed in poll related violence. It said that the Petitioners, who are both victims and eye witnesses have been constrained to invoke the extraordinary writ jurisdiction of this Court seeking fair investigation by a Court appointed Special Investigation Team into the murders and large scale incidents of violence unleashed at the behest of a particular political party. The plea said that the court should also examine the failure of the State administration which while identifying itself with this vengeful cause of the ruling political party in the State has chosen to turn a blind eye leaving victims of these crimes remediless as the entire genocidal attacks are part of a well thought of political design of the party in power to take political revenge after declaration of results of assembly elections on May 2, 2021.