New Delhi, Feb. 12 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it would not interfere at this stage with the National Investigation Agency's (NIA) probe into the recent violence at West Bengal's Beldanga in Murshidabad district and that all objections raised by the state be examined by the Calcutta High Court, although it questioned the basis on which the agency invoked the stringent anti-terror law to justify taking over the case. Disposing of the state's petitions, the court said that it would be appropriate for the high court to independently assess the NIA's decision to invoke Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), which defines a "terrorist act", after examining a status report to be submitted by the agency in a sealed cover. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi clarified that it has expressed no opinion on the merits and that both sides would be at liberty to raise all contentions before the high court, where the matter remains pending. "Go back to the high court and make a plea for reconsideration," Justice Bagchi told the West Bengal government, which had come in appeal against the high court order last month, giving the Centre the option to hand over the probe to the NIA and also deploy central armed forces following violent agitation in Beldanga in mid-January that led to arson and damage to public property. While refraining from stalling the investigation, the bench asked the NIA to submit a report before the high court indicating whether a prima facie case exists for continuing its probe. The court also noted that similar violence took place in April 2025 in Murshidabad and observed that despite the Calcutta High Court indicating that NIA was at liberty to examine whether a probe was warranted, the agency had not acted promptly at the time. Violence erupted in Murshidabad's Beldanga area in January after the body of a migrant worker, 30-year-old Alauddin Sheikh, allegedly murdered in Jharkhand, was brought to his native village in West Bengal. Protests reportedly escalated into violence, with demonstrators blocking a national highway and attacking a journalist. Police registered four FIRs and arrested at least 30 people. On January 20, the Calcutta HC observed that it would be open to the Centre to consider an NIA investigation. NIA subsequently initiated its probe....