India, April 2 -- In a scathing observation, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Thursday termed the nine-hour hostage crisis involving judicial officers in West Bengal's Malda as "calculated and motivated", calling the state the "most polarised".

Hearing the matter, the Supreme Court of India sought a detailed probe into the incident, asking the Election Commission of India (ECI) to consider an investigation by either the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

The top court also directed the poll body and the state government to ensure adequate security for judicial officers engaged in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The court's remarks come in the wake of a shocking...