Kolkata: Terming as 'premature', the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday dismissed two PILs filed in connection with the blast at the firecracker factory in Duttapukur in North 24-Parganas district. One of the petitioners was Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.
The blast at the illegal firecracker factory on August 27 killed about nine people. Holding that the petitions are premature, a division bench presided by Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam said the petitioners will have to allow the investigation to be completed and if any grievances are there after that, it will be well open for them to present those before the appropriate forum.
Adhikari had filed a petition seeking CBI and NIA probe into the blast. The petition was filed a day after the blast. “This incident occurred on August 27, your representation makes it seem like it happened in 2020. It only happened the day before yesterday. Immediately you are filing a PIL, what is to be done? If investigation is not happening, some irregularities are there…but you are filing this enclosing newspaper cuttings for something that happened two days ago. Already investigation has been taken up by the State police, and thus this petition is premature. The police has to be allowed time to complete the investigation, and thereafter if any grievances are there, the petitioner can pursue the same. Petition stands dismissed,” the Bench held.
Police arrested one person in connection with the explosion case while OC of Nilganj Out-Post (OP) and the IC of Duttapukur Police Station were suspended for alleged dereliction of duty.