Kolkata Feb 21 PTI The Calcutta High Court on Monday took suo motu cognisance of the alleged murder of student leader Anis Khan and directed the state to make submissions on the matter on February 24 The matter was mentioned by a lawyer expressing extreme urgency and a prayer was made before the court for initiating a suo motu petition Justice Rajasekhar Mantha directed the registry to number the prayer as a suo motu petition and asked the state to make submissions on the matter on February 24 Alleging that Khan a social activist has been murdered senior advocate Bikash Bhattacharya and lawyer Koustav Bagchi submitted that he had publicly raised his voice against donations allegedly being demanded by educational institutions and the poor condition of certain hospitals in Uluberia in Howrah district They submitted before the court that on February 19 civic volunteerspersonnel of the Amta police went to the residence of Khan for interrogation in connection with a case and after meeting his father on the ground floor went up to the third floor on the pretext of speaking to his son Khan was beaten up by the police murdered and thrown over from the said higher floor the lawyers alleged before the court It was further submitted that the authorities with a view to placating the situation have offered a job to the deceased Anis Khans brother and apprehension was expressed that the investigation may be frustrated and compromised since allegations are primarily against the members of the ruling dispensation The incident has led to widespread protests and opposition parties have demanded an investigation by an independent agency Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday ordered formation of a special investigation team into the death asserting that the government will hold an impartial probe Soon after state DGP Manoj Malaviya announced the formation of the SIT headed by Additional Director General of Police CID Gyanwant Singh Alleging that four people had come to their house on the night of February 18 donning police and civic volunteer uniform and pushed his son off the third floor of their house at Amta in Howrah district leading to his death the father of the deceased has demanded a CBI investigation into the matter The police however said no law enforcer had gone to his house at that time Khan who had been with the SFI in the past and a prominent face in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act CAA protests at Park Circus Maidan in Kolkata in late 2019 and 2020 later joined the Indian Secular Front PTI AMR NN NN

New Delhi Jan 19 PTI The Supreme Court Wednesday said it would consider listing for hearing the fresh plea of activists seeking implementation of an earlier order on ensuring food security and other welfare measures for migrant workers who are again in distress in the third COVID-19 wave triggered by omicron variant and consequential curbs imposed in parts of country Let me see Chief Justice of India CJI N V Ramana told advocate Prashant Bhushan who sought urgent hearing on an interim application filed by three activists Anjali Bharadwaj Harsh Mander and Jagdeep Chhokar in a 2020 suo motu case This is the food for the migrant labourers matter The directions were issued by this court in the suo motu petition relating to delivery of dry ration and as well as the community kitchen etc Ultimately seven months have elapsed and no directions have not been implemented and now again because of this Omicron and the curbs like lockdown the migrant labourers are again facing the severe crisis Bhushan argued The activists in the fresh plea have sought directions to the Centre to file a status report with respect to compliance of the directions given in the judgment delivered in June last year The plea seeks compliance with the direction by which the authorities were asked to undertake an exercise under the National Food Security Act 2013 to re- determine the total number of persons to be covered under the free ration scheme It has sought details of foodgrains provided by the Centre to the states for implementing the food schemes for migrant workers The top court on June 29 last year had issued a slew of directions to authorities on a plea of the activists seeking welfare measures for migrant workers and had ordered states and Union Territories UTs to frame schemes for providing free dry ration to them till the pandemic lasts while the Centre will have to allocate additional foodgrains The bench had also termed as unpardonable the Centres apathy and lackadaisical attitude towards creating National Database for Unorganised Workers NDUW and ordered its commencement by July 31 last year so that all migrant workers are registered and welfare measures extended to them during COVID distress The verdict had come on the plea of the activists seeking directions to the Centre and states to ensure food security cash transfers and other welfare measures for migrant workers who faced distress again due to curfews and lockdowns in various parts of the country during the second wave of COVID-19 The plea was filed last year during the second COVID-19 wave in a pending suo motu case of 2020 in which the top court had taken cognizance of problems and miseries of migrant labourers and had passed a slew of directions PTI SJK SA