On Tuesday, the Calcutta High Court granted custody of Sheikh Shahjahan, the former Trinamool strongman accused of extortion, land grab, and sexual assault in Bengal's Sandeshkhali, to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The Bengal Police have been instructed to hand over Sheikh Shahjahan and all pertinent case materials to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by 4:30 pm.

A High Court bench, headed by Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam, overturned a previous order establishing a special investigative team comprising central and state law officials. The case has now been transferred to the central agency.

Sheikh Shahjahan had been evading authorities since January 5, when a group of Enforcement Directorate officials was assaulted by a mob of his supporters while traveling to conduct raids.

The attack and Sheikh Shahjahan's subsequent disappearance triggered a significant political controversy, with the ruling Trinamool Congress coming under fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The BJP accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's party of shielding Shahjahan.

After being on the run for 55 days, Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested by a special police team. Following his arrest, he was suspended from the Trinamool Congress for a period of six years. His apprehension occurred three days after the High Court issued an order for his arrest.

The court responded vehemently to allegations made by Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee, stating that the judiciary had not constrained the state's actions and that his party was not providing protection to the accused.

"I want to put this on record... Trinamool is not guarding Shahjahan. Judiciary is. Lift the stay and see what police does..." he had said in response to the BJP's allegations.

The court shot back, saying, "Shahjahan obviously needs to be arrested." "We clarify there is no stay on arrest in any proceeding. He is absconding," the court declared.

The Shahjahan-Sandeshkhali controversy drew sharp criticism from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit to Bengal. Mr. Modi accused the Trinamool of shielding its former member and criticized Ms. Banerjee for prioritizing "certain individuals" over the suffering of women.

Referring to the party's 'Maa, Maati, Manush' (Mother, Land, and People) slogan, he declared, "What has been done to women in Sandeshkhali by Trinamool... has made the country angry."