'Is this court going to monitor every murder or violent incident in Bengal?' asks Supreme Court

The top court was hearing a plea concerning the alleged killing of three BJP workers after the 2018 local bodies elections in the state.

New Delhi: Is this court going to monitor every murder or violent incident happening in West Bengal, the Supreme Court on Tuesday asked while hearing a plea concerning the alleged killing of three BJP workers after the 2018 local bodies elections in the state.

A bench of justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N V Anjaria asked the petitioner why he has not approached the Calcutta High Court with his grievance.

Senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia, who had filed the plea in 2018 and was also appearing for the brother of one of the deceased, gave a brief background of the case and said three ghastly murders that took place in West Bengal were brought to the notice of the apex court.

He argued that 19 murders, which were political in nature, took place in the state at that time and the brother and family members of one of the deceased were receiving death threats from some influential persons.

Bhatia said five closure reports were filed in these 19 matters.

"Every murder or every violent incident that happens in West Bengal, is this court going to monitor everything," Justice Nath asked.

The bench said the petitioner should approach the high court for seeking relief.

Bhatia said the family members of one of the deceased should be provided security as they were receiving threats.

He said the deceased's brother has also filed an application in the apex court.

Bhatia referred to the post-mortem report of one of the deceased.

The bench, after perusing the report, observed that prima facie it appeared to be a classic case of suicidal hanging.

Bhatia said that he would file a rejoinder affidavit in the matter.

The bench granted him two weeks to file the rejoinder affidavit and posted the matter for hearing on March 10.

In August 2018, the top court agreed to examine the plea seeking a CBI probe into the alleged killing of three BJP workers in West Bengal after the local bodies elections in the state.

It was also alleged that family members of three slain BJP workers, Shaktipad Sarkar, Trilochan Mahato and Dulal Kumar, were being threatened.

Shaktipada Sarkar, a BJP block president in the Mandirbazar-Dhanurhat area, was hacked to death when he was returning home in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district in July 2018.

The body of 32-year-old Dulal Kumar, a BJP worker, was found hanging from an electric pole in the Purulia district's Balarampur of West Bengal in June 2018.

In the same district in May 2018, the body of 18-year-old Tirlochan Mahato, also a BJP worker from Balrampur, was found hanging from a tree.

The top court had in March 2019 noted that charge sheets were filed in connection with the deaths of Sarkar and Mahato.

It had said that having regard to the facts and availability of alternative remedy to the family members of the deceased, it would not like to continue to entertain the petition insofar as the death of two persons was concerned.