SC calls West Bengal 'most polarised state', says judicial officers’ gherao in Malda was 'preplanned'

The Supreme Court on Friday took a serious view of the violence and intimidation faced by seven judicial officers, including three women officers who are deployed to adjudicate claims in the Election Commission’s SIR process in West Bengal’s Malda district. Terming the incident a brazen and deliberate attempt to obstruct the administration of justice, a bench led by CJI Surya Kant noted with concern that despite prior intimation, the State authorities failed to act promptly, leaving judicial officers without protection, food, or water for hours.