The West Bengal government is yet to sanction criminal proceedings against the three police officers accused in the Rizwanur Rehman case. A sanction under Section 197 CrPC is mandatory for initiating proceedings against government servants. Home secretary Ashoke Mohan Chakraborty said the sanction will be issued in the next couple of days. Special Superintendent of Intelligence Branch Ajay Kumar, Assistant Commissioner Sukanti Chakraborty and Sub-Inspector Krisnendu Das have been chargesheeted by the CBI on September 22 for their alleged involvement in the unnatural death of Rizwanur Rehman.Following it, the CBI had requested the state government to get sanction for prosecution as per the provisions of Section 197 CrPC against the police officers.The Calcutta High Court has directed the state government to initiate departmental proceedings against Prasun Mukherjee, former Commissioner of Kolkata Police and Gyanwant Singh, former DC (Headquarters). The home secretary also said the government has requested the CBI to inform them on the nature of offence committed by Mukherjee and Singh, which was suggested by the CBI in its report to the High Court. But the agency is yet to reply on that, the home secretary said. The three officers had surrendered before the CBI court on September 30 and were remanded in jail custody. The next day sessions court granted them interim bail.
