The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Bengal government to continue its investigations into a criminal case filed by a woman in a family property dispute without “succumbing to any form of pressure”.

Petitioner Bani Roy Choudhury has alleged that a lawyer, who is the husband of a sitting Calcutta High Court judge, is pressuring the police to shield the accused.

Astha Sharma, the Bengal government’s standing counsel, placed before the bench a copy of a sealed-cover report that the state had earlier submitted to the chief justice of Calcutta High Court on September 15.

The report was on the status of the investigation and the alleged interference.

After going through the report, the apex court bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and S.V.N. Bhatti sought an updated status report in a sealed cover by the next date of hearing in December.

Senior advocate Sunil Fernandes, also appearing for the Bengal government, told the bench the state was conducting an impartial investigation and had transferred the probe to the CID.

Justice Khanna told Sharma: “If there is any form of interference in the investigations or at the time of filing the chargesheet, the matter may be brought to the notice of the top court.”

Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the petitioner, had earlier informed the court that what had started as a property dispute had taken a different turn on account of alleged interference by Protap Chandra Dey, husband of a sitting judge.

Hegde told the bench the petitioner had got FIRs registered against her brother in the property dispute.

The FIRs related to charges such as criminal conspiracy, common intention, cheating, forgery, criminal intimidation, attempt to culpable homicide, causing grievous hurt, outraging the modesty of a woman, and house trespass.

He said Dey, a practising advocate, was appearing for the family of the petitioner’s brother and had pressured the police not to act on the petitioner’s criminal complaint on the ground that it was a civil dispute.