Kolkata Law College Rape Case: HC Reviews Probe Report, Next Hearing On July 17
The West Bengal government on Thursday submitted a sealed progress report on the alleged rape of a 24-year-old Law student to the Calcutta High Court.
The state also produced the case diary before a division bench comprising Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das De, which reviewed the victim’s statement under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nyay Samhita (BNS) and the medical records.
The court directed that a copy of the progress report be handed to the victim’s advocate, strictly barring its disclosure without prior court permission.
The victim’s family, through counsel, expressed satisfaction with the investigation led by Kolkata Police’s SIT. The police also filed a report explaining why local officers allegedly failed to act on earlier threats against the victim.
The bench asked the Deputy Commissioner of Police to file a detailed affidavit on the progress of the probe within four weeks. The matter will next be heard on July 17
Meanwhile, three PILs filed in connection with the case are also being heard. The court has requested that the state, the college, the police, and the victim’s family submit affidavits before the next hearing.
Police was deployed at South Calcutta Law College as classes resumed on July 7 amid an ongoing investigation into an alleged gang rape incident.
As the Calcutta High Court ordered classes to resume, Advocate and guest lecturer at the law college, Somnath Mukherjee, said that the court had laid some guidelines, which will be followed.
“We have already submitted to the High Court. The high court has given some guidelines, and we will follow them,” Mukherjee told ANI.
While the classes resume, the student unions’ rooms will remain closed. The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed the West Bengal Higher Education Department to ensure that the union rooms in all colleges and universities in the state remain locked till the time the students’ union elections in those institutions are conducted and the results are declared.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Police on Friday brought the arrested accused in the Kolkata gangrape case to South Calcutta Law College for the reconstruction of the crime scene. (ANI)
