Supreme Court Orders NIA Probe into Malda Judicial Officers' Gherao

The Supreme Court of India has ordered the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the investigation into the gherao (siege) of judicial officers in West Bengal's Malda district. This significant directive, issued on April 6, 2026, came after the Court noted "serious allegations against the members of the State/local police" regarding their handling of the incident. The incident, which occurred on April 1, 2026, in Kaliachak, Malda, saw seven judicial officers, including three women, held hostage for several hours—up to nine hours—by a mob of protesters. These officers were engaged in crucial duties related to the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, an exercise underway ahead of upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal. The protesters were reportedly agitated over alleged mass deletions of voters from the electoral lists. Reports also indicate that stones were thrown at the officers' vehicles. Taking *suo motu* (on its own motion) cognizance of the matter on April 2, 2026, following a letter from the Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court, the Supreme Court had initially permitted the Election Commission of India (ECI) to seek a preliminary inquiry by a central agency like the CBI or NIA. The Court also directed the deployment of central forces to ensure the safety of judicial officers undertaking SIR duties, acknowledging that West Bengal was a highly polarized state. During the subsequent hearing on April 6, the Supreme Court took a strong stance. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice Vipul Pancholi, after perusing a preliminary status report, deemed the incident a "motivated, pre-planned and calculated" act aimed at disrupting the electoral process and demoralizing judicial officers. The Court severely criticized top state officials, including the West Bengal Chief Secretary, Director General of Police (DGP), District Magistrate, and Superintendent of Police (SP) of Malda, for their delayed response and alleged failure to intervene during the gherao. The Chief Justice of India expressed profound displeasure, noting that the law and order machinery in the state had seemingly "broken down" and highlighted that he himself had to monitor the situation until late into the night. The Chief Secretary, Dushyant Nariala, faced particular admonishment for allegedly not responding to calls from the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice while the crisis unfolded. While the Supreme Court eventually dropped further punitive action against the Chief Secretary and DGP, it directed them to tender an apology to the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice, hoping they had understood their sense of responsibility. The apex court invoked its extraordinary powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to transfer all 12 First Information Reports (FIRs) registered by the local police in connection with the incident to the NIA. This was a crucial step, as some of the offenses might not typically fall under the NIA Act's scheduled offenses. The NIA was also granted the authority to register additional FIRs if further offenses or wider dimensions of the conspiracy emerged during its investigation. The West Bengal Police were directed to hand over all case diaries, documents, and the custody of arrested accused to the central agency and extend full logistical support. The Supreme Court also mandated that the NIA submit periodic status reports to it, ensuring judicial oversight over the investigation. The next hearing in the matter is scheduled for April 13, 2026. The incident has highlighted concerns about the integrity of the electoral process and the safety of officials performing critical duties in West Bengal.

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