Calcutta High Court on Thursday asked the CBI to file a report on the death of Bara Lalon Sheikh in its custody and fixed the hearing of a public interest litigation for a judicial probe on December 19.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj, however, declined to stay or modify the order passed by a single bench of the high court on Wednesday.

The single judge bench of Justice Jay Sengupta had on Wednesday given the CID the liberty to continue with its probe into the custodial death of Lalon but asked the agency not to take any coercive action against seven CBI officers named in the complaint by the deceased person’s wife.

A lawyer approached the division bench challenging the single judge’s order.

Lalon, an accused in the Bogtui carnage, was found hanging in the bathroom of the CBI camp office at Rampurhat in Birbhum district on Monday.

Reshma Biwi, Lalon’s wife, filed an FIR accusing seven CBI officers of murdering him. Justice Sengupta’s order followed a petition seeking the quashing of the proceedings drawn by the CID against the CBI officers on the basis of the FIR.

Since the division bench did not interfere in the order passed by Justice Sengupta, the CID will have the liberty to continue with its probe.

HC: No rural poll dates before Jan 9

Calcutta: Calcutta High Court on Thursday issued an interim order restraining the state election commission (SEC) from announcing dates for panchayat polls before January 9.

A division bench headed by Chief Justice Prakash Srivastava issued the order on a petition filed by leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, who claimed that the SEC was going to announce the panchayat poll dates in consultation with the Bengal government without following norms for allotting reserved seats.

The bench primarily accepted Adhikari’s allegation and asked the SEC not to declare poll dates before January 9 when the case would come up for the next hearing.

TAPAS GHOSH