The Supreme Court on Friday criticised the CBI over its plea seeking transfer of cases relating to the 2021 post-post violence outside West Bengal. The court said the agency cannot cast aspersions on the entire judiciary in West Bengal.

The Supreme Court of India has ordered a CBI investigation into a case where the petitioner, Bhagwan Singh, denied filing an appeal and claimed he had not hired any lawyers for the case. The court expressed serious concern over the misuse of the legal system and the involvement of advocates in unethical practices.

The Supreme Court on Friday pulled up the CBI for “casting aspersions” on the Bengal judiciary, after hearing the probe agency’s petition seeking a direction to transfer cases related to the 2021 post-poll violence in Bengal to another state.

The Supreme Court chastised the CBI for asserting that all courts in West Bengal are hostile, deeming it contemptuous. The CBI aimed to move trials of post-election violence cases out of the state, alleging bias.

A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Pankaj Mithal expressed displeasure over the CBI's plea, stressing that the central probe agency had cast aspersions on the entire judiciary of West Bengal.

The CBI had filed the petition in December 2023 seeking directions to transfer the cases outside of West Bengal due to alleged concerns of witness intimidation.