An NIA court in Kolkata on Thursday rejected the bail pleas of 52 accused in the Malda Mothabari case and ordered that all of them, including the main accused Mofakkarul Islam, remain in judicial custody until May 13. The case pertains to the alleged confinement and harassment of officials engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
Incident Details
On April 1, seven judicial officers who were assigned to the revision exercise were allegedly confined inside the Kaliachak-II block office until midnight by an agitated mob. It was reported that individuals whose names were missing from the list surrounded and intimidated the officers. The matter later reached the Supreme Court, which directed the transfer of the investigation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Court Proceedings
The NIA court accepted the agency's submission opposing the bail petitions and denied bail in all 12 connected cases arising from the incident. NIA counsel Shyamal Ghosh stated that hearings were conducted in 12 cases, and judicial custody was ordered in each of them. He added that investigating officers are working to file the final report as early as possible.
The Election Commission had earlier handed over the probe to the NIA following a court directive. Before the NIA formally took over the investigation, Mofakkarul Islam was arrested by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The court's decision underscores the seriousness of the charges, which involve obstruction of official duties and intimidation of government officials.
