The Calcutta High Court made it quite clear that “no sympathy” was on the agenda just hours after the arrest of Trinamool Congress (TMC) strongman Shahjahan Sheikh. According to PTI, the court ordered Sheikh’s lawyer to appear before a suo motu hearing on March 4 to discuss the alleged sexual atrocities and land encroachments that have affected the Sandeshkhali tribal tribes. They were hearing hearings on Thursday.
The lawyer representing Sheikh went to the High Court and asked for a quick listing so they could deal with his client’s case. A division bench headed by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam reminded Sheikh that the court does not feel sorry for him and ordered him to show up on Monday for the hearing.
The court stressed the significance of the vakalatnama in directing a lawyer to represent a client in court proceedings, stating that Sheikh’s authorization of legal representation through it should have allowed him to be there.
Importantly, a client can appoint a lawyer to represent them in court by executing a vakalatnama.
In response to the Sheikh’s lawyer’s statement that four additional applications were still pending and that an anticipatory bail plea had been rejected two days before, the Chief Justice announced that the TMC leader was facing an unprecedented 42 cases.
“This man is facing around 43 charges, Mr. Counsel. Keep in mind that this man will occupy your time for the next decade. At the very least, you’ll be tasked with handling all of his cases over the next decade. The Chief Justice reportedly told both the Bar and Bench that they should show up on Monday.
The veteran leader of the Trinamool Congress party was apprehended by the Bengal police after a 55-day period of evasion. His suspected role in last month’s brutal assault on a team of Enforcement Directorate (ED) personnel is the basis for his detention. In addition, he is facing charges of sexual offenses, extortion, intimidation, and land usurpation.
(This news report is from a syndicated feed. THND team members did not write or edit the content except for the headline.)
