New Delhi, Dec 7: The West Bengal Government today filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the March 14 police firing in Nandigram.

The apex court will take up the matter on December 13.

Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan headed bench gave a nod for an early hearing into the matter.

At least 14 people were killed when police fired bullets on the activists of Trinamool Congress spearheaded Bhoomi Uchched Protirodh Committee (BUPC), who were protesting against the setting up of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Nandigram.

The State Government has contended that the Calcutta High Court had made a "premature conclusion" without properly evaluating the evidence on record.

The High Court, on November 16, had dismissed all petitions filed by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Government in connection with the Nandigram violence on March 14, and directed the government to continue the CBI probe.

The High Court had on November 27 issued a criminal contempt notice to Left Front chairman Biman Bose for his remarks that the judiciary was taking biased stand on the Nandigram issue.

Bose had said the court ruling that March 14 police firing in Nandigram was "unconstitutional, " and a CBI probe into it was intervention of judiciary into the work of legislature.

Meanwhile, media reports said that West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has ordered a CID probe into the recovery of five half-burnt dead bodies found near Nandigram on December 5.

The five graves were found by the CRPF at Bidyapith village in the Marxist stronghold of Khejuri. Half-burnt portions of skulls and bones were exhumed from three of the five graves in the presence CBI Joint Director Arun Kumar.

On December 4, three weeks after he justified the violent takeover of Nandigram by the CPI (M) cadres, Bhattacharya had regretted his 'tit for tat' remark, which he had made in Kolkata.

A few days after CPI (M) cadres took over the control of Nandigram after fierce clashes between the Left and the activists belonging to a Trinamool supported land protection committee, Buddhadeb had justified his party's cadres act by saying, “The people who suffered were paid back in their own coin. ”

The West Bengal Government had planned to set up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for chemical industries in Nandigram, but had to abort the project as villagers refused to give their farmland for the project.

The row saw violent clashes between residents opposed to the project and the communist supporters as well as police. (ANI)