The CBI on Wednesday withdrew from the Supreme Court around 20 petitions filed by it seeking transfer of cases related to the 2021 post-poll violence in West Bengal outside the state, citing “changed circumstances”. A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) request to withdraw.
“We are seeking to withdraw owing to changed circumstances,” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the bench.The CBI had filed the petitions in 2023, when Mamata Banerjee was the chief minister of West Bengal, seeking transfer of the trials due to alleged concerns of witness intimidation, threats to prosecution lawyers and an atmosphere unconducive to fair trials in the State.