Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday directed the West Bengal government to set up a commission of inquiry, headed by a retired judge of the court, into the stampede at the Chorbagan Durga Puja pandal on October 17, in which 19 people died.
A Division Bench presided over by Chief Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge made clear that, under a Supreme Court directive, a sitting High Court judge cannot head an inquiry. The state government had proposed a sitting judge, and the court turned that down.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had said a sitting judge would head a Special Investigation Team to probe the incident. The court, however, left it to the state to choose a retired judge.
The order came on a PIL by a lawyer seeking an independent and speedy probe, heard at a special sitting of the court's vacation Bench on Navami.
Meanwhile, police have arrested seven people and detained 14 in the case. The accused have been remanded in 10 days' police custody. A man from Cooch Behar was arrested for spreading a fake video about the stampede. Investigators have retrieved footage from 13 of the 30 CCTV cameras at the pandal. VIP entrance channels have been removed and exit routes widened at several pandals.