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New Delhi: On Wednesday, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) initiated 12 cases to investigate the gherao of judicial officers involved in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Malda, West Bengal.

This action follows a directive from the Supreme Court.

In a statement released late at night, the NIA confirmed it has 're-registered 07 FIRs from PS Mothabari and 05 FIRs from PS Kalichak in District Malda for investigation', adhering to a Supreme Court order dated April 6, which pertains to the safety of judicial officers engaged in the SIR process and associated law-and-order issues.

'NIA investigation teams have already been dispatched to Malda for a comprehensive inquiry into these cases,' the statement added.

The Supreme Court had ordered the NIA to take over the investigations concerning the gherao of seven judicial officers, highlighting concerns about the diminishing credibility of the bureaucracy and the influence of politics within the West Bengal government.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, exercised its powers under Article 142 of the Constitution to transfer the 12 cases linked to the incident that occurred on April 1.

The court acted on its own accord after receiving a letter from the chief justice of the Calcutta High Court, which described a distressing situation where judicial officers, including three women and a five-year-old child, were held captive by a mob for over nine hours without food or water.

This incident took place during the SIR exercise in the Kaliachowk area of Malda, where seven judicial officers were surrounded by 'anti-social elements'.

The Supreme Court criticized West Bengal Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala, instructing him to apologize to the chief justice of the high court for failing to respond to his calls during the crisis.

The bench ordered the West Bengal Police to transfer all 26 arrested individuals to the NIA for questioning, expressing distrust in the local police's handling of the situation.

The NIA was also directed to interrogate the masterminds behind the incident, which appeared to be a premeditated act.

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing the chief secretary and the director general of police (DGP) of West Bengal, informed the court that the alleged masterminds—Mofakerrul Islam and Maulana Muhammad Shahjahan Ali Qadri—had already been apprehended by local authorities.

In a strong rebuke, the Supreme Court stated that the incident 'reveals a total breakdown of state administration' and represents a 'blatant attempt not only to intimidate judicial officers' but also to challenge the authority of the Supreme Court.

Currently, around 700 judicial officers from West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand are engaged in the ongoing SIR process to address over 60 lakh objections from individuals excluded from the voter list in West Bengal.

The chief justice of the high court had to personally intervene, making group calls to the home secretary and the DGP, who eventually arrived at the chief justice's residence, leading to the release of the held judicial officers after midnight.

Even after their rescue, the vehicles of the judicial officers were attacked with stones and sticks, as noted by the CJI.