The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered the West Bengal government to explain the steps taken by it in the investigation related to the gang rape of a law student in South Kolkata Law College.
A Division Bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De said that the government can furnish the details in a sealed cover.
"We need a report from the State about what steps they have taken after the FIR was filed. We need it in writing... We shall see the progress of the investigation and then pass appropriate orders," the Court said.
The Court also asked the media to be cautious when reporting the matter and not reveal the victim's identity.
Pertinently, the Bench asked the government and the college to explain how a former student (the main accused in the case) was allowed inside the campus after official hours.
It further ordered the government and the college to reply to the following questions:
Why were staff members present on campus long past official college hours without any official purpose or administrative supervision?
What monitoring or security measures, if any, were in place to prevent or detect unauthorised access to sensitive areas of the college building?
Why did the college administration and local police take no preventive action, despite having been allegedly informed of threats made against the victim well in advance?
Why does a reputed law college lack essential surveillance infrastructure such as CCTV coverage and a functioning security apparatus, especially when gender-based violence is on the rise?
These questions were raised in a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by advocate Souma Subhra Ray seeking CBI probe in the case.
He argued that this act of barbarity, committed within an institution of legal education, cannot be viewed in isolation.
"It is symptomatic of a wider and systemic collapse in institutional vigilance, campus security, administrative accountability, and police responsiveness," the plea said.
However, the Court noted that there were several defects in the petition. It allowed Ray to withdraw this plea and file a fresh one.
Several other PILs have also been filed in the Court, raising questions over the investigation and demanding an independent probe.
Senior Advocate Kalyan Bandopadhyay appeared for the State of West Bengal today and told the Bench that certain media outlets were using the pictures of women in their reporting.
"Some other girl's picture has been shown. It may be assumed that this is the lady [victim]," Bandopadhyay said.
Justice De said she has also noticed the same
The Court then asked the media to be careful in its reporting of the sensitive issue.
It further said that victim's identity must not be revealed in any of the court documents either.
According to a report in The Indian Express, a first-year student was allegedly raped on June 25 in the security guard room of the South Calcutta Law College.
The survivor’s medical examination done in a state-run hospital corroborated her statements, officials said without divulging details.
Till now, four accused - Manojit Mishra, Promit Mukherjee, Zaid Ahmed and the college guard - have been arrested by the Kolkata Police.
It is alleged that Mishra raped the student while the other two shot videos to blackmail her.
Mishra is also stated to be associated with the Trinamool Congress's youth wing.
The Kolkata Police recently said that it is transferring the probe from the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to its Detective Department.