SC Keeps NIA Bengal Violence Probe, Orders HC Review UAPA Use
SC Keeps NIA Bengal Violence Probe, Orders HC Review UAPA Use
Supreme Court allows the NIA to continue its Bengal violence probe but asks Calcutta High Court to examine the grounds for invoking UAPA in the Beldanga case.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would not interfere at this stage with the National Investigation Agency’s probe into the violence in Beldanga, Murshidabad, and directed the Calcutta High Court to examine objections raised by the state regarding the use of UAPA. The court clarified that it has expressed no opinion on the merits and that both sides can raise contentions before the high court, which is already hearing the matter. It urged the state to consider asking the high court to reassess, and noted the Centre’s option to hand over the probe to the NIA and deploy central forces following mid-January violence that led to arson and property damage.
The bench also directed the NIA to submit a status report in a sealed cover indicating whether there is prima facie material for continuing the probe under UAPA, while questioning the basis for invoking Section 15 of the Act and whether it covers acts likely to threaten economic security of the country. The order preserves the option for the high court to review the NIA’s decision to take over the case and to assess the evidence before proceeding further.
The decision comes as the state had challenged the transfer of the investigation to the central agency and sought direction on the appropriate legal framework for handling the case, which has seen arson and damage to public property in Beldanga in January. The high court remains the arena for a deeper examination of the UAPA invocation and the overall trajectory of the inquiry.
