Kolkata, Mar 5 (IANS): Despite a clear instruction from the Calcutta High Court directing the CID of the state police to hand over Sheikh Shahjahan, the accused mastermind behind the attack on ED and CAPF teams at Sandeshkhali on January 5, to the CBI at the earliest, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Tuesday refused to hand over the accused to the central probe agency.

Armed with the Calcutta High Court order, three officials of the CBI, accompanied by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel, arrived at the CID headquarters at the Bhabani Bhavan here at 4.40 p.m. on Tuesday for the official hand over of Shahjahan and all case-related documents.

However, after over two hours of discussions, the CBI officials left Bhabani Bhavan at 7.05 p.m. without Sheikh Shahjahan.

Sources said since the state government has already moved the Supreme Court challenging the high court order to hand over Shahjahan to the CBI, the CID authorities refused to hand over the accused to the central agency on the same evening.

The West Bengal government approached the Supreme Court bench presided over by Justice Sanjiv Khanna late on Tuesday afternoon, seeking immediate intervention of the apex court in the matter.

However, the apex court refused to entertain the plea and instead asked the state government counsel to approach the Registrar (Judicial) of the apex court for obtaining directions from the Chief Justice of India, D.Y. Chandrachud, for urgent hearing of the case.

The opposition parties, meanwhile, have claimed that the state government approaching the apex court desperately is a proof to its desperation to protect the accused.