The CBI has taken over the investigation into the attack on Enforcement Directorate officers by a mob in Sandeskhali on January 5, registering an FIR on Tuesday hours after the Calcutta High Court directed the state police to hand over the case to the central agency, officials said.

The CBI promptly acted on the orders of the High Court which had directed on Tuesday that the central probe agency be handed over the case and the custody of suspended TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh by 4.30 PM.

A CBI team reached the CID office in Kolkata with paramilitary forces to take custody of Sheikh, who was arrested by the state police on February 29 in connection with the attack, but he was not handed over to the agency by the West Bengal police.

"We have not handed him over as the state government has moved the Supreme Court (against the HC order)," an official said in Kolkata.

Earlier in the day, the High Court slammed the West Bengal Police for "totally biased" conduct and said every attempt is being made to delay the probe to "protect" the accused.

A team of ED officials was attacked by a nearly 1,000-strong mob on January 5 when they went to raid the house of Sheikh, who allegedly has close links with arrested former state food minister Jyoti Priya Mallick, in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution scam in West Bengal.

"There can be no better case than the case on hand which requires to be transferred to be investigated by CBI," a high court division bench headed by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam ruled on Tuesday.

Within hours of the HC acceding to the Enforcement Directorate's request, the West Bengal government moved the Supreme Court challenging the order but an apex court bench refused an urgent listing of the plea and asked its counsel to mention the matter before the Registrar General.

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