Kolkata, April 10: A single judge bench of the Calcutta High Court, on Thursday, directed the West Bengal Police to submit a detailed report justifying why an FIR was registered against Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) over a Ram Navami procession.

The VHP had organised the event at Kolkata-adjacent Howrah district on April 6

The single judge bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh directed the state police to submit the report along with supporting documents justifying the FIR by April 25. The police were asked to clarify why criminal proceedings were initiated based on the FIR.

The FIR was registered, accusing the VHP of violating the court-imposed restrictions on the Ram Navami procession, especially as regards the maximum number of participants. However, the VHP challenged the FIR registered by the police against it in the Calcutta High Court.

The matter came up for hearing on Thursday. The VHP counsel presented to the court the list of participants at the procession along with their supporting identity documents like Aadhaar cards.

The VHP counsel argued that while the organizers of the rally maintained the participation level within the limit imposed by the court, a number of people assembled on the roadsides to watch that procession.

The police registered the FIR showing those onlookers as part of the procession, the VHP counsel argued. He also claimed that the actual number of participants at the rally was just 303.

Thereafter, the single judge bench directed the state police to justify the reasons for registering the FIR and submit a report on the matter to the court by April 25.

It was learnt that the police had also registered an FIR against another organisation christened Anjani Putra Sena (APS), which took out a similar procession in the Howrah district on April 6 on the occasion of Ram Navami. The charges of the FIR registered against APS were the same: The number of people participating in the procession was much higher than the court-imposed limit.

Incidentally, the police initially denied permission to both VHP and APS to organise Ram Navami processions in the Howrah district. However, both the organizers later organised their respective processions after getting permission from the Calcutta High Court.

Kolkata, April 10: The salary portal for the teaching and non-teaching staff in West Bengal Government schools continues to show on the payrolls the names of the 25,753 staff members whose jobs were terminated following an order by a Division Bench of the Supreme Court last week.

The current payroll list on the portal, which is updated between the first and 10th day of each month, remains the same as last month.

The individual school authorities have no role to play either in the addition or deletion of names from the portal, explained a headmaster of a state-run school in South 24 Parganas district.

“The authority of individual school management in the matter is just restricted to giving inputs on the portal on any change in the Provident Fund or Income Tax structure of any teaching or non-teaching staff attached to the school concerned.

“The individual school authorities are yet to receive any notification from the West Bengal School Service Commission regarding the fate of the staff attached to the respective schools whose jobs have been terminated following the apex court’s order,” confirmed the headmaster on strict condition of anonymity.

One reason why the payroll list in the said portal has remained unchanged could be that the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education (WBBSE), had earlier this week, approached the Supreme Court seeking a modification to the April 3 order by the apex court’s Division Bench.

The Division Bench of the Chief Justice of India (CJI), Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, upheld an earlier order by the Calcutta High Court’s Division Bench of Justice Debangsu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi last year, cancelling a total of 25,753 appointments made by the WBSSC.

In the petition, the WBBSE has made an appeal that till the time the fresh recruitment process, as directed by the court last week is completed, those candidates who have been identified as “genuine” should be allowed to work.

However, despite the payroll list in the portal remaining unchanged as of now, there is confusion among the job losers on two counts.

The first point of concern is whether the name continuing in the portal will ultimately end in credit of the current month’s salary to their respective bank accounts on the month-end.

The second confusion is that even if the current month’s salary is credited, how long would that continue for, because if the West Bengal government continues to pay salaries to the job losers it will tantamount to violation of the apex court order and hence contempt of court.

New Delhi, April 10: A high-level interrogation team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) will question Tahawwur Rana, the key accused in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, soon after his arrival in India, sources said on Thursday.

The team will comprise two Inspector Generals (IG), one Deputy Inspector General (DIG), and one Superintendent of Police (SP). The sources said that Intelligence Agency officials would also question him.

In view of the sensitivity surrounding the case, Delhi Police’s elite SWAT unit has been deployed to ensure the secure movement of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials.

Additionally, the Special Cell of Delhi Police has been placed on high alert, while SWAT commandos have been stationed at the airport to manage security.

As part of the elaborate security arrangements, the responsibility of maintaining the outer security cordon has been entrusted to the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and local police teams.

Sources confirmed that all necessary steps have been taken to ensure safe transit and custody of the high-profile terror suspect. Security has also been increased at the NIA headquarters in the national capital.

The 64-year-old Pakistan-born Canadian national is being extradited from the US after a prolonged legal battle. A special chartered flight carrying him departed from the US on April 9 and is expected to land in Delhi any time. Upon his arrival, Rana will be formally arrested by the NIA and is likely to be produced in a Delhi court shortly after.

According to sources, Rana is expected to be lodged in a high-security ward in Tihar Jail. Authorities have already made extensive preparations to hold him securely within the prison complex.

Rana, a close associate of David Coleman Headley alias Dawood Gilani — the main conspirator in the 2008 Mumbai attacks — has been charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code, including criminal conspiracy, waging war against the Government of India, murder, and forgery, along with charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Despite the progress, Mumbai Police are yet to receive formal notification regarding his transfer to the city for trial proceedings. Rana is also suspected of having close ties with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the banned terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba, which was responsible for orchestrating the attacks that claimed 166 lives.

The joint operation to extradite Rana has been coordinated between the NIA and the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), marking a critical moment in India’s ongoing efforts to bring the masterminds of the 26/11 attacks to justice.