The Supreme Court on Monday stayed proceedings of the Lok Sabha privileges committee against senior government officials of West Bengal. The committee had sent notice to the officials based on a complaint by BJP MP Sukanta Majumdar alleging breach of privilege.
Senior West Bengal government officials including Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and three other senior officials challenged the privileges committee notice against them for alleged misconduct against the BJP MP during protests in Sandeshkhali. Hearing the case, Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud passed an interim stay against the committee summons based on petitions filed by Chief Secretary Bhagwati Prasad Gopalika, Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar, North 24 Parganas District Magistrate Sharad Kumar Dwivedi, Basirhat SP Hossain Mehdi Rehman and Additional SP Partha Ghosh.
Appearing for West Bengal officials, senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi informed the Court that the BJP MP and supporters protested in Sandeshkhali while Section 144 was in place. The advocates said the summoned authorities were not even present at the site and there are videos of BJP supporters attacking police personnel, LiveLaaw reported.
Majumdar, the West Bengal BJP chief and Lok Sabha member from Balurghat, wrote to the privileges committee alleging breach of privilege for misconduct, brutality and causing life-threatening injuries to him by security forces in the Trinamool Congress-ruled state.
Majumdar was injured as party workers clashed with police personnel on Wednesday after being stopped from entering Sandeshkhali, where women have been agitating over alleged atrocities committed against them by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Shajahan Sheikh and his aides.
-with PTI inputs.