Sheikh Shahjahan denied anticipatory bail by Calcutta HC in PDS case

A division bench of the Calcutta High Court on Tuesday, 12 March, rejected the anticipatory bail petition of suspended Trinamool Congress leader Sheikh Shahjahan in the alleged Public Distribution System (PDS) scam case in West Bengal.

While rejecting the anticipatory bail petition, the division bench of justice Debangsu Basak and justice Shabbar Rashidi observed that Shahjahan’s name surfaced in the PDS case in relation to another accused in the case, when he was in the custody of the ED.

Hence, in such a situation, anticipatory bail cannot be allowed, the division bench observed.

This is the third time that Shahjahan’s anticipatory bail petition in the ration distribution case has been rejected.

Earlier, he filed similar anticipatory bail applications first at a special court of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and then at a district court in North 24-Parganas.

However, both these courts rejected his anticipatory bail applications, following which he moved the Calcutta High Court with a similar plea.

Currently, Shahjahan is in the custody of the CBI in connection with the charges against him for masterminding the attack on ED and CAPF personnel at Sandeshkhali on 5 January.