The Calcutta High Court on February 13 overturned prohibitory orders issued under Section 144 of the CrPC in Sandeshkhali, which has been seeing protests over the past week.
The high court took suo motu cognizance of allegations of sexual assault on women “at gunpoint” and the transfer of tribal land, and directed that notice be issued to state authorities.
Two Sandeshkhali residents filed a petition asking the court to revoke the prohibitory orders in the area. On February 9, prohibition orders under Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code were issued, and internet services were banned in Sandeshkhali, North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal.
This is after hundreds of women from Sandeshkhali marched to the streets with brooms, rods, and farming tools, blocking the highways. They sought immediate arrest of TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan and his two aides, Shiba Prasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.
