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Updated: Jun 07, 2019 16:18 IST

The Gauhati High Court has directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to probe a case of land grabbing in which a former Assam Director General of Police (DGP) is an accused.

The court ordered the central agency to investigate the role of Khagen Sharma and his wife Bandana Sharma in a case of land grabbing at a prime location in Guwahati.

Though the court order was passed last month, it was made available to the CBI counsel only this week. The state police, which was probing the case earlier, are yet to hand over records related to the case to CBI.

Expressing concern that Assam Police had failed to conduct a proper investigation into the case, a single judge bench of the HC directed the CBI to take charge of the probe.

The case dates back to 2010 when a complaint of land grabbing was filed at Paltan Bazar police station. Former DGP Sharma and his wife were named as accused in the charge sheet filed in 2014.

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Unhappy with the slow pace of investigation into the case, several petitioners approached the court.

In its order, the court observed that there was a nexus between some government officials, including those from the police, with criminals to grab prime property in Guwahati.

Sharma, who was appointed as DGP in January 2014, had retired in November, 2015.