In a scathing indictment of the West Bengal administration, the Supreme Court labeled the state as the “most polarized” in the country.

Expressing grave concern over the detention and harassment of judicial officers in Malda, Chief Justice Surya Kant described the incident as a “brazen attempt” to challenge the authority of the judiciary and sabotage the electoral process.

The bench was appalled by the administrative lethargy, noting that despite the siege starting at 3:30 PM, no action was taken until late night, even after personal intervention by the High Court Chief Justice. Consequently, the Supreme Court has issued show-cause notices to the Chief Secretary, DGP, DM, and SP for their failure to protect judicial officers.

“We will not allow anyone to break the morale of judicial officers,” the Chief Justice remarked. The court has ordered an impartial probe by either the CBI or NIA. Furthermore, the bench directed the deployment of Central Forces to ensure the safety of judicial officers, their families, and their properties across the state. This ruling marks a significant escalation in the judicial oversight of the state’s law and order situation during the election period.