Kolkata: ECI handed over the probe into the harassment of seven judicial adjudication officers at Kaliachak in minority dominated Malda district to the CBI on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, a division bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Surya Kant, strongly denounced the incident, describing it as evidence of a complete law and order failure in West Bengal. He directed that the matter be probed either by the CBI or the NIA. However, the Apex Court left the final decision to the ECI on whether to entrust the probe to the CBI or the NIA. The ECI subsequently chose the CBI to investigate the matter. The CBI is expected to submit its preliminary report to the SC on April 6^th.

The Apex Court also issued notices to West Bengal Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala, Director General of Police Sidh Nath Gupta, Home Secretary Sanghamitra Ghosh, and the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police of Malda, asking them to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them.

On Wednesday, seven judicial officers, including three women, were held hostage inside a block office at Kaliachak in Malda district by a group of voters whose names had been deleted during the process of judicial adjudication under the logical discrepancy category.