New Delhi, 02 April (H.S.):

The Supreme Court has expressed strong displeasure over the hostage-taking of judicial officers engaged in Special Intensive Revision (SIR) duties in West Bengal. A bench presided over by Chief Justice Suryakant has directed the deployment of central forces to ensure the safety of these judicial officers.

During the hearing, the court told West Bengal's Advocate General Kishor Datta that the state is the most polarized, where everyone speaks in political terms. It emphasized that encircling and holding judicial officers hostage violates not only their dignity but also the dignity of the Supreme Court itself.

The episode unfolded on the evening of April 1 around 3:30 PM at a Block Development Officer's office in Malda district, West Bengal, where seven judicial officers—including three women judges—were held captive for hours by protesters. No action was taken against the perpetrators until late evening.

According to the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, neither the District Magistrate nor the Superintendent of Police arrived at the scene. The High Court Chief Justice had to phone the state DGP to secure the judges' safety, after which the officers were released around midnight.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar