Kolkata gang-rape: Supreme Court lawyer writes to CJI urging suo motu cognisance

Days after the horrific alleged gang-rape of a law student inside the South Calcutta College campus, a Supreme Court lawyer has sent a letter petition to the Chief Justice of India, B.R. Gavai, urging the apex court to take suo motu cognizance of the alleged gang-rape and to transfer the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to ensure free and fair probe.

 

The petition, filed by advocate Satyam Singh Rajpoot, calls for urgent judicial intervention and seeks action against Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee and MLA Madan Mitra for their remarks allegedly blaming and shaming the victim.

 

In his letter petition, Rajpoot has also requested a magisterial inquiry into the institutional failures that enabled the crime and demanded disciplinary action against officials found responsible.

 

The letter highlights what it calls a grave failure of the state’s law and order machinery, drawing attention to the earlier rape and murder of a trainee doctor at R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital. It warns that the brutal assault on the law student is yet another grim reminder that women students continue to feel unsafe on campuses across West Bengal.

 

In his plea, Rajpoot has requested the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognizance of the June 25 gang-rape and direct an immediate, impartial probe, and issue a writ transferring the investigation to the CBI, with a timeline for completing the probe under the court’s monitoring.

 

The plea has also sought direction to authorities to provide comprehensive protection to the victim, her family, all witnesses, and others who may have relevant information, as well as to legal representatives and activists linked to the case.

 

The petition also sought directions to the West Bengal government to implement urgent safety measures in educational institutions, including mandatory 24/7 CCTV surveillance, dedicated women’s safety cells, regular security audits and vulnerability assessments and emergency response systems and helplines.

 

The petition also seeks an interim compensation of ₹50 lakh for the victim to cover medical treatment, rehabilitation, and legal expenses, pending final compensation.

 

Additionally, Rajpoot has sought strict action against Trinamool Congress leaders, Banerjee and Mitra, for their public statements about the incident. Mitra reportedly remarked that the assault could have been avoided had the student not gone alone to the college premises, adding that if that girl had not gone there, this incident wouldn’t have happened. Banerjee, meanwhile, questioned how the police could prevent a rape allegedly committed by a friend on campus, asking, “Will the police be there in every school, college?”

 

A female student was allegedly gang-raped inside a law college in Kolkata’s Kasba area on June 25. Police have arrested four accused in connection with the crime. The three arrested men - Monojit Mishra (31), Zaib Ahmed (19), and Pramit Mukhopadhyay (20) are reportedly former students or staff members of the same law college. Police have also arrested the security guard of the college, Pinaki Banerjee (55). They have been remanded to police custody for four days, till July 1.

India