Category Archives: Crime

Crime, National, Northeast, Regional, Sikkim, West Bengal

Can’t prosecute person under SC/ST Act unless casteist remarks made in ‘public view’: Supreme Court

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The bench passed the verdict while setting aside a Delhi HC judgment that had taken a contrary view and directed the registration of an FIR against Priti Agarwalla and five others besides the station house officer of Fatehpur Beri police station

R. Balaji, TT, New Delhi, 18.05.24 : The Supreme Court on Friday ruled that a person cannot be prosecuted for alleged offences under the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act unless casteist remarks were made in “public view” with an intention to humiliate.

The bench of Justices M.M Sundresh and S.V.N. Bhatti passed the verdict while setting aside a Delhi High Court judgment that had taken a contrary view and directed the registration of an FIR against Priti Agarwalla and five others besides the station house officer of Fatehpur Beri police station.
The appellants were represented by senior advocate Sidharth Luthra while complainant Praveen Kumar aka Prashant was represented by Kapil Nath Modi. Besides being an advocate, Modi is the administrator of the Olympic Riding and Equestrian Academy, Eastern Jaunapur, New Delhi (OREA).

Praveen and most of the appellants used to train at the OREA where skirmishes reportedly broke out, resulting in the filing of complaints and counter-complaints.

Modi submitted that the appellants often hurled casteist slurs at Praveen, saying equestrian sports were meant for the rich and not a “Chamar” like him.

However, Luthra said the allegations were fabricated. He maintained that the offence alleged against the appellants was stated under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(1)(s) of the SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. To constitute an offence under Section 3(1)(r), the complaint must aver that the commission or omission had been made in public view, he said.

He added that the complaint did not satisfy the required ingredients of an offence under the Act.

Agreeing with the arguments, Justice Bhatti said Section 3(1)(r) of the SC, ST Act identifies as an offence an intentional insult or intimidation intended to humiliate a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in public view.

“The cumulative effect of the structured application to a given situation is that the intentional insult or abuse coupled with the humiliation is made in any place within public view. The expression ‘in any place within public view’ has an important role to play in deciding whether the allegation attracts the ingredients of an offence or not,” Justice Bhatti observed.

“The accusation of intentionally abusing and humiliating Respondent No. 2 (Praveen) spans over a period of two years between 2016 and 2018. The allegation prima facie appears to be an omnibus and ambiguous allegation.”

The bench said the specific allegation in the complaint on Appellant No. 2 is that Appellant No. 2 had called Respondent No. 2 “Chuda” and “Chamar”, among other things.

“The allegation does not refer to the place nor the public view before whom it was made. An important test for ‘in any place within public view’ is within the view of persons other than the complainant,” the apex court noted.

“In this case, we are not examining whether OREA is a private or public place, but to appreciate the alleged offence. We juxtapose the allegation(s) with the requirement of insulting or intimidating in any place within public view is satisfied or not.”
Crime, National, Regional, West Bengal

Woman held in Jalpaiguri for trafficking minor girl to Delhi

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Dibyendu Sinha, MP, 17 May 2024, Jalpaiguri: A woman was caught by the Railway Protection Force (RPF) while attempting to traffic a minor girl to Delhi under the pretense of offering work. The arrested woman, Sita Parikh, 49, was apprehended along with the rescued minor at Jalpaiguri Road Station on Friday. 

According to RPF sources, the woman is a resident of the Natar Bari area in Assam. Initial inquiries revealed that the minor was missing for the past three days. 
A missing person’s complaint was lodged at the concerned police station in Sonitpur, Assam, by her family. The incident came to light on Friday when an AC coach attendant on the 15658 Down Brahmaputra Mail, travelling from Guwahati to Delhi, grew suspicious upon seeing the minor with the woman in an AC coach. 
He then informed the RPF personnel about the situation. RPF Inspector Biplap Dutta of Jalpaiguri Road Station stated: “We initiated a search as soon as we received the information. The minor’s brother had also sought help from the Railways. When the Brahmaputra Mail arrived at Jalpaiguri Road Station, we took Sita Parikh into custody and rescued the girl. 
During interrogation, the accounts of the minor and the woman did not match, leading to Sita’s arrest. We have contacted Assam Police and the minor’s family, who are on their way to Jalpaiguri.” 
Courtesy & source- Millennium Post
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/woman-held-for-trafficking-minor-girl-to-delhi-564252
Crime, Misc, National, Regional, West Bengal

SC seeks Centre’s stand on plea against marital rape exception in new criminal law

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PTI, New Delhi, May 17, 2024 : The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centre’s stand on a petition challenging the marital rape exception under the new criminal laws.

A bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud issued notice on the petition by the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) and said it would be listed for hearing in July along with other petitions seeking to criminalise marital rape.
    “It is a constitutional issue. This will be live even after the new code,” the bench, also comprising Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, said.
    The top court had on January 16, 2023 sought the Centre’s response on certain petitions assailing the Indian Penal Code (IPC) provision which provides protection to a husband against prosecution for forcible sexual intercourse if the wife is an adult.
     Under the exception given in Section 375 of the IPC, sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his wife, the wife not being minor, is not rape.
     Even under the new law — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), exception 2 to section 63 (rape) has clarified that “sexual intercourse or sexual acts by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under eighteen years of age, is not rape”.
     The newly enacted laws — the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Act — that would completely overhaul the criminal justice system will come into effect from July 1.
     Besides the exception under the BNS, AIDWA has also challenged in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of section 67 of the BNS, which prescribes imprisonment ranging from two to seven years for married men who rape their separated wives.
    The plea, filed through lawyer Ruchira Goel, objected to the provision on the ground that the penalty is lower than the mandatory minimum 10-year sentence otherwise applicable in cases of rape.
     It also assailed as unconstitutional section 221 of BNSS, which facilitates a “lenient regime” under section 67 by prohibiting a court from taking cognizance of the offence without “prima facie satisfaction of the facts which constitute the offence upon a complaint… by the wife”.
     The petitioner emphasised that the marital rape exception violates Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution as it negates a married women’s consent to sex and perpetuates sexual and gender stereotypes about the subordination of a woman’s individuality.
    “The impugned provisions, in pegging the legal status of a woman’s consent to her marital status, are manifestly arbitrary. There is no determining principle to justify the select deprivation of married women of a legal right to complain of the commission of the offence under Section 63 of the BNS by her husband,” the petition said.
    It further stated that the protection of the “institution” of marriage as the “objective” to sustain the exception is wholly unjust and unfair.
    The petition also stated that the marital rape exception is against Article 19(1)(a) and Article 21 of the Constitution because it takes away a married women’s rights to bodily integrity, decisional autonomy, and dignity.
    “Given that this Hon’ble Court is seized of the matter insofar as it concerns the pari materia (in similar matter or when two provisions of two different statutes deal with the same subject) provisions of the BNS and BNSS as they were contained in the IPC and CrPC, it is prayed that this Hon’ble Court hear the instant case, which challenges provisions of the BNS and BNSS that constitute and secure the MRE (marital rape exception), respectively,” the plea said.
    One of pending pleas in the Supreme Court has been filed in relation to the Delhi High Court’s split verdict of May 11, 2022 on the issue. This appeal has been filed by a woman, one of the petitioners before the Delhi High Court.
    However, two HC judges — Justice Rajiv Shakdher and Justice C Hari Shankar — had concurred on granting a certificate of leave to appeal in the Supreme Court as the matter involved substantial questions of law which required a decision from the top court.
     AIDWA was also one of the petitioners before the high court.
     While Justice Shakdher, who headed the division bench, favoured striking down the marital rape exception for being “unconstitutional” and said it would be “tragic if a married woman’s call for justice is not heard even after 162 years” since the enactment of the IPC, Justice Shankar said the exception under the rape law is not “unconstitutional and was based on an intelligible differentia”.
     Another plea has been filed by a man against the Karnataka High Court verdict which had paved the way for his prosecution for allegedly raping his wife.
     The Karnataka High Court had on March 23, 2022 said exempting a husband from allegation of rape and unnatural sex with his wife runs against Article 14 (equality before law) of the Constitution.
Crime, Politics, Regional, West Bengal

Post-poll violence: CBI looking for 6 absconders; residence of 2 TMC leaders raided

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 The CBI conducted raids in West Bengal targeting six absconders in a post-poll violence case involving Trinamool Congress leaders. 

PTI | Kolkata | 17 May 2024 : The CBI conducted raids at various locations in West Bengal on Friday, looking for six absconders in a post-poll violence case, including some Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, officials said.


The Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) search operation was aimed at tracing the whereabouts of the six absconding accused against whom non-bailable warrants have been issued by a special court, the officials said.

The court has issued the warrants against Buddhadeb Maity, Pradip Mandal, Debabrata Panda, Tapas Bej, Arjun Kumar Maity and Bikramjit Das, they said.

The CBI team searched the residences of two TMC leaders at Kathi in Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal in connection with its ongoing probe into the killing of a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker in post-poll violence in 2021, an officer said.

A team of CBI officers raided the houses of Debabrata Panda, a TMC leader from Kathi Block number 3, and block president Nandadulal Maiti in the early hours, he said.

”Panda, Nandadulal’s son and 52 others have been named in the FIR lodged in connection with the killing of Janmejay Dolui,” the CBI officer told PTI.

Dolui, a BJP worker, was killed in violence following the 2021 West Bengal Assembly polls.

The officer said 30 people were summoned for questioning in connection with the matter but none turned up.

”We are conducting raids at places associated with these people. We need to question them,” he said.
Crime, Politics, West Bengal

TMC demonstrates near Raj Bhavan over molestation charge against Guv

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PTI, May 17, 2024, Kolkata :  The Trinamool Congress on Friday demonstrated near Raj Bhavan here over the allegation of molestation against West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, demanding his resignation.

   
The protestors, who included members of the TMC affiliated West Bengal College and University Professors Association (WBCUPA), held placards and shouted slogans, as the police stopped them from advancing towards the Governor’s House.

“It is shameful that he is still sticking to the chair when more than one woman, including a female staff of Raj Bhavan, levelled serious charges against him,” a WBCUPA office-bearer said.

    In a police complaint, a woman contractual employee of Raj Bhavan last week accused the governor of molesting her.

    Earlier this week, the police also submitted a report to the state secretariat about the complaint filed by a classical dancer that Bose had sexually harassed her at a posh hotel in New Delhi in 2023.

    Former state West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights Chairperson and film-maker Sudeshna Roy, who also walked in the rally, said “I am here to express solidarity with the women. He is not allowing any investigation as his is a constitutional post. But such a post does not guarantee him immunity as an individual from being probed into the charges.”

    Article to Art 361(2) of the Constitution, a criminal case cannot be initiated against the President and Governor in a court of law.
    The governor has rejected the charges saying these were all politically motivated since he had been voicing grievances of the people in Bengal. 
Crime, National, Regional, Sikkim, West Bengal

ED can’t arrest after special court takes cognisance of PMLA complaint: Supreme Court

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 While passing the judgment, the apex court also frowned on the alleged practice among some special courts, formed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), of taking accused into custody when they appear in answer to summons

R. Balaji, TT, New Delhi, 17.05.24  : The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that once a special PMLA court takes cognisance of a complaint, the Enforcement Directorate is “powerless” to arrest an accused without the court’s permission.

“Cognisance” refers to a judicial court applying its mind to a complaint filed before it, either by the investigating agency or a private complainant, to examine whether summons or warrants should be issued against an accused.

While passing the judgment, the apex court also frowned on the alleged practice among some special courts, formed under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), of taking accused into custody when they appear in answer to summons.

Senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for a batch of accused persons, and other lawyers had complained that this practice among some special courts was compelling their clients to apply for bail or anticipatory bail under the PMLA’s stringent provisions.

“…Such a practice, if followed by some special courts, is completely illegal. Such a practice may offend the right to liberty guaranteed by Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” the bench of Justice Abhay S. Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said.

The apex court rejected the argument of the ED, represented by additional solicitor-general S.V. Raju, that once an accused appears before the special court, they are deemed to be in custody.

“Once cognisance is taken of the offence punishable under Section 4 of the PMLA, the special court is seized of the matter,” Justice Oka, who authored the judgment, said.

“After the cognisance is taken, the ED… (is) powerless to arrest an accused named in the complaint.”

But, while pursuing its investigation into the same case, the ED is free to arrest a person (presumably a new suspect) who has not been shown as an accused in the complaint before the special court, the judgment said.

On the allegation against some of the special courts themselves, the apex court said: “We cannot countenance a situation where… after the filing of the complaint, after he (accused) appears in compliance with the summons, he is taken into custody and forced to apply for bail.”

If the ED wants custody of an accused who has appeared in the special court after being served with summons, it must apply to the special court, the bench said.

After hearing the accused, the special court must pass an order on the application by recording brief reasons.

While hearing such an application, the court may permit custody only if it is satisfied that custodial interrogation at that stage is required, the bench said.
Crime, Misc, West Bengal

Man released from jail after 28 years plans to start his life afresh

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PINAK PANI CHOWDHURY, MP, 16 May 2024, BALURGHAT: Gurupada Burman, who spent half his life at a correctional home, has been released after spending 28 years behind bars for murder. 

At 60 years of age, he aims to reintegrate into society by raising ducks and goats, seeking support from the South Dinajpur district administration. The district administration has also assured him of all support in an attempt to rehabilitate him. 
The incident occurred in 1987 during a land dispute in Rainagar village, Balurghat Block, resulting in the tragic deaths of eight family members. 
Four persons were arrested and eventually sentenced to death in 1996, after nine years of legal proceedings. While two were executed and one committed suicide, 
Gurupada’s sentence was commuted to life imprisonment due to positive behaviour in prison. Periodic paroles allowed him to support his family with earnings from prison farming. 
Following the murders, Rainagar villagers vandalised Gurupada’s home, causing his wife and five children to relocate to Shalgram. 
However, based on recommendations from authorities, including the District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, the review board granted Gurupada full release. 
Reflecting on his wife’s struggles, Gurupada expresses readiness for employment through duck and goat farming. “I will now start a new life with the help of the district administration. 
I will take up animal farming as my livelihood,” Gurupada said. Jayanta Kumar Sur, district administration official, citing comprehensive assessments, plans to provide him with livestock through the Animal Resource Development department. 
“The board released him after considering all aspects. We are considering providing him with livestock,” Sur said. 
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/man-released-from-jail-after-28-years-plans-to-start-his-life-afresh-564079
Crime, National, Northeast

Inter-state prostitution racket busted in Arunachal, five govt officers including a DSP and a Dy director of health among 21 held

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Police said that with this, so far five minors have been rescued and 21 accused arrested in the inter-state prostitution racket involving human traffickers from the state and neighbouring Assam.

PTI, Itanagar, 16 May 2024  : The Arunachal Pradesh Police have arrested 21 people, including government officers, for their alleged involvement in an inter-state prostitution racket, and rescued five minors in the age group of 10-15 years, officials said on Wednesday.
The arrested government officers include a deputy superintendent of police and a deputy director of health services, they said.
The minors were being trafficked to the state from Dhemaji in neighbouring Assam by two women (sisters) who run a beauty parlour in Itanagar, Capital Superintendent of Police (SP) Rohit Rajbir Singh said.
Based on inputs that a prostitution ring involving minor girls is active at Chimpu, near here, the capital police team conducted a raid at the alleged brothel cum residence of two women on May 4 and rescued two minor girls.
The minor girls revealed that they had been brought to Itanagar from Dhemaji, by two sisters, the SP said.
After being trafficked to Itanagar they were forced into prostitution by the sisters along with the two other ladies, the SP said.
The child welfare committee (CWC) was informed and based-on the complaint of the minor girls, a case was registered at the Itanagar women police station and an investigation was initiated.
Consequently, it was learned that two more minor girls trafficked from Dhemaji were in the custody of a woman and were later rescued.
All the women were arrested and they are currently in police custody, while the rescued minor girls are at shelter homes where they are receiving further medical and mental health care, he said.
Police during investigation, arrested six more accused persons, including three pimps and three sexual assailants and recovered one more minor girl from a lodge at Zoo Road at Chimpu, near here on May 11 last, the SP said.
The police team also learned that the accused persons have also trafficked one more minor girl, and the said girl is also a victim child sex trafficking ring. Accordingly, a raid was conducted at a hotel following which the accused persons were arrested.
  
As many as 10 people involved in the prostitution racket have been arrested, while 11 customers, including five government officers, were arrested, Mr Singh added.


Mid Day, Itanagar, 16 May, 2024: As inter-state prostitution racket continues to haunt Arunachal Pradesh, six more accused, including a state police official and three pimps, have been arrested and one more minor girl rescued from the clutches of the traffickers, police said on Wednesday. Police said that with this, so far five minors have been rescued and 21 accused arrested in the inter-state prostitution racket involving human traffickers from the state and neighbouring Assam.

A police official said that after interrogating the earlier 15 detainees, six more persons, including Deputy Superintendent of Police Bulang Marik, posted with the first battalion of Arunachal Armed Police, a police constable, three pimps, and one more were arrested on Tuesday. The fifth minor girl (15 years old) was rescued from a lodge at Zoo Road in Chimpu.

As part of the ongoing probe, the police identified a couple — Dulal Basumatary, 52, and Dipali Basumatary, 44 — who run the City Hotel at Zoo Road in Itanagar, along with its manager Deepak Parajuli, 24, who had pushed minor girls into the flesh trade. The Basumatarys are residents of Udalguri and Parajuli hails from Assam’s Narayanpur.

Police, on May 1, busted the inter-state prostitution and human trafficking racket, rescued four minors, and arrested 15 persons, including six government servants, in connection with the case. According to police, the minor girls, aged 10 to 15 years, were trafficked into Arunachal Pradesh from Dhemaji in neighbouring Assam by two sisters, who allegedly ran a brothel in Itanagar.

The rescued girls told the police that they were brought to Itanagar from Dhemaji by the sisters, identified as Pushpanjali and Purnima Mili. Subsequently, two more minor girls trafficked from Dhemaji were rescued from the clutches of Pushpanjali Mili. The girls were forced into prostitution by the sisters along with two other women. The police also identified two hotels and a beauty parlour involved in the crime.

Arunachal Pradesh Women Commission Chairperson Kenjum Pakam urged the state government to take stern action against those involved in the child trafficking and sexual exploitation racket. The Commission, in a statement, said that it was deeply shocked and anguished by the heinous crime of sex trafficking of minor girls from the neighbouring state. It is also shameful to know that women and learned persons are involved in the case, it said.

It urged the police to keep vigil on hotels, parlours, or any other suspicious places in and around the Itanagar Capital Region so that no immoral activities take place. The Apatani Women Association Ziro (AWAZ) in the Lower Subansiri district has strongly condemned the racket, while the Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society (APWWS) has demanded the cancellation of the licence of hotels and beauty parlours involved in the case.

In a petition to Itanagar Capital Region Deputy Commissioner Shweta Nagarkoti Mehta, it said that the gravity of the situation necessitates immediate and decisive action to address the root causes and prevent further exploitation of vulnerable girls from poor families. APWWS President Kani Nada Maling said: “The fast action would serve as a deterrent and indicate the zero-tolerance policy of the state government towards such reprehensible practices.” The NGO said that as part of the stringent measures, all the guests must produce valid ID cards, and a daily guest list must be submitted to the local administration and the police for thorough scrutiny and verification. 
Crime, National, Politics

Supreme Court orders release of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha, declares his arrest ‘invalid’

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 The order was issued by a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta

PTI, New Delhi, 15.05.24 : The Supreme Court on Wednesday declared as “invalid in the eyes of law” the arrest of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha in a case under the anti-terror law, and directed that he be released from custody.


The apex court observed that a copy of the remand application in the “purported exercise of communication” of grounds of arrest in writing was not provided to Purkayastha or his counsel before the passing of the remand order dated October 4, 2023 which “vitiates” his arrest and subsequent remand.
“As a result, the appellant is entitled to a direction for release from custody by applying the ratio of the judgement rendered by this court in the case of Pankaj Bansal,” a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta said.


“Accordingly, the arrest of the appellant (Purkayastha) followed by the remand order dated … and so also the impugned order passed by the High Court of Delhi are hereby declared to be invalid in the eyes of law and are quashed and set aside,” it said.

The bench delivered its verdict on Purkayastha’s plea challenging the high court’s October 13 last year order dismissing his plea against arrest and subsequent police remand in the case.

He was arrested by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police on October 3 last year.

While pronouncing the judgement, the apex court said, “Though, we would have been persuaded to direct the release of the appellant without requiring him to furnish bonds of security but since the charge sheet has been filed, we feel it appropriate to direct that the appellant shall be released from custody on furnishing bail bonds to the satisfaction of the trial court.” The bench made it clear that none of the observations made by it shall be treated as a comment on the merits of the case.

After the verdict was pronounced, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Delhi Police, said since the arrest was declared to be void, it should not preclude the police from exercising the correct powers of arrest.

“We need not observe anything on that,” Justice Gavai said, adding, “Whatever you are permitted in law, you are permitted in law.” The high court had on October 13 last year dismissed the pleas of Purkayastha and NewsClick’s human resources department head Amit Chakravarty against their arrest and subsequent police remand.

Chakravarty had earlier withdrawn from the Supreme Court his petition against his arrest under the anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

A Delhi court had earlier allowed Chakravarty to turn an approver in the case lodged against the news portal under the UAPA over allegations that it received money to spread pro-China propaganda.

According to the FIR, the news portal allegedly received huge amount of funds from China to “disrupt the sovereignty of India” and cause disaffection against the country.

It also alleged that Purkayastha conspired with a group — People’s Alliance for Democracy and Secularism (PADS) — to sabotage the electoral process during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

On April 30, a Delhi court had taken cognisance of a charge sheet filed against Purkayastha in the case.

The court had in January allowed Chakravarty to turn approver in the case.

The judge had pardoned Chakravarty, who was arrested in the case on October 3, 2023, on his application that claimed he had material information which he was willing to disclose to the Delhi Police, which is investigating the matter.
Crime, Politics, Regional, West Bengal

CBI starts collecting details of teachers who lost jobs

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MP, 13 May 2024, Kolkata: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has started collecting the details of the more than 25,000 school teachers who are accused in the alleged SSC recruitment scam. 

According to sources, 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff were dismissed from their jobs by Calcutta High Court and a CBI probe was ordered. However, the Supreme Court later imposed a stay on the order of dismissal but upheld the order of CBI probe. 
The Supreme Court directed that the investigation ordered by the Calcutta High Court as per clauses 7 and 8 in the operative directions shall continue but no coercive steps be taken. 
The CBI recently has taken the initiative and started gathering the details of the said teaching and non-teaching staff. 
According to sources, several such teachers and non-teaching staff have been summoned recently. The Central agency has reportedly started collecting documents from teachers and other staff. 
In some cases, the CBI has started collecting this information on its own initiative. The CBI is collecting the exam results, interview and physical test pass certificates, job offer letters, appointment letters, joining reports, salary statements etc. from schools. 
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/cbi-starts-collecting-details-of-teachers-who-lost-jobs-563631
Crime, Politics, West Bengal

Court rejects BJP leader’s bail plea, sends her to 7-day jail custody

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Judicial custody for BJP worker accused of scripting fake rape complaints in Sandeshkhali
MP,14 May 2024, Kolkata: The Basirhat Sub-Divisional Court on Tuesday refused bail to BJP leader Mampi Das (aka Piyali) who has instead been sent to jail for seven days. It was learnt that Das surrendered in Basirhat Sub-Divisional Court on Tuesday. 
There were allegations against her of getting women in Sandeshkhali to sign on white papers. The court rejected the bail plea and sent her to seven days judicial custody. When questioned by the media, 
Das said that the allegations against her are false and that there is no evidence to support those allegations. She alleged that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is scared of losing her chair which has forced her to frame Das in such “false cases”. 
TMC had asked the Election Commission (EC) to direct the police to initiate criminal proceedings against the National Commission for Women (NCW) chairperson Rekha Sharma and other BJP leaders, including Piyali Das, for several alleged criminal offences, including criminal conspiracy and intimidation, committed against women in Sandeshkhali and electorates in general. 
The party claimed that such an act of obtaining a signature on blank paper through coercion to file a false rape complaint, “is not only an abuse of law and power, but also amounts to offences of forgery, cheating, fraud, criminal intimidation and criminal conspiracy. 
The exploitation of women for political gain is a reprehensible tactic that undermines their rights and dignity. Such manipulation not only violates the rights of these women but also damages the integrity of democratic institutions”

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/court-rejects-bjp-leaders-bail-plea-sends-her-to-7-day-jail-custody-563774

Crime, National, Politics, West Bengal

Another sexual misconduct case against Guv: Cops submit report to Nabanna

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MP, 14 May 2024, Kolkata: Kolkata Police has reportedly sent a report to the Nabanna after conducting an enquiry on the allegations of sexual harassment of an Odishi dancer by the West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose. 

Sources said a few months ago a woman who is a professional dancer lodged a complaint against Bose alleging that last year she was sexually harassed by the Bengal Governor in Delhi. 
The woman reportedly claimed that last year she met the Governor who took her to Delhi to perform in a programme. A relative of Bose from Bengaluru had booked a room in a five-star hotel in Delhi for her. 
The complaint alleged that Bose sexually harassed her inside the hotel room. As no case can be registered against the Governor, Kolkata Police has started an enquiry into the matter which was reportedly led by a Deputy Commissioner ranked officer. 
After the enquiry was over, Kolkata Police submitted the report at the Nabanna in a sealed envelope. Kolkata Police presently is also conducting an enquiry based on a complaint of molestation against Bose which was filed by a contractual staff of the Raj Bhavan. 
https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/another-sexual-misconduct-case-against-guv-cops-submit-report-to-nabanna-563777
Crime, Regional, Sikkim, West Bengal

Illegal liquor, contraband seized; three held

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EOI, Siliguri: The Excise Department seized a significant quantity of illegal liquor from a pickup van loaded with vegetables, leading to the arrest of one individual, identified as Dharmendra Kumar, a resident of Bihar. 

On Monday night, acting on a tip-off, officials of the Excise Department raided the Champasari area in Siliguri and recovered 138 cartons of foreign liquor hidden under sacks of vegetables. 
The estimated value of the liquor was Rs 31,05,000. The liquor was brought from Sikkim to be smuggled to Bihar. Meanwhile, Kharibari Police apprehended two individuals with 52 grams of brown sugar and 19 bottles of illegal cough syrup from the Panitanki overbridge in Kharibari on Monday night. 
The accused have been identified as Lalita Barman, a resident of Goursing Jote, and Bal Bahadur Tamang, a resident of Sikkim. Police sources revealed that the accused had traveled from Sikkim to Panitanki. All the suspects were produced at Siliguri Court on Tuesday

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/illegal-liquor-contraband-seized-three-held-563821
Crime, Politics, Regional, West Bengal

Calcutta HC adjourns till Friday hear-ing of Sandeshkhali BJP leader’s peti-tion over ‘sting video’

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PTI, Kolkata, May 14, 2024 : The Calcutta High Court on Tuesday adjourned till Friday the hearing of a petition by BJP’s Sandeshkhali leader Gangadhar Koyal, seeking transfer of probe to CBI into an alleged sting video over accusations of sexual atrocities in the riverine area, on a prayer by the state.

    
Advocate General Kishore Dutta, appearing for the West Bengal government, prayed for adjournment of the hearing of the matter.
    
He stated before Justice Jay Sengupta that an application has been filed by a woman before the Supreme Court, seeking inclusion as an intervenor in a plea by the state challenging a high court order, which directed CBI investigation into allegations of sexual atrocities and land-grabbing in Sandeshkhali, and as such this matter before the court be granted a short adjournment.
    
Granting the prayer, Justice Sengupta directed that Koyal’s petition seeking transfer of investigation into the alleged sting video related to allegations of sexual atrocities in Sandeshkhali be taken up for hearing again on Friday.
    
The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal had recently shared a video of an alleged sting operation featuring Koyal.
    
In the purported video, the veracity of which could not be confirmed by PTI, a man resembling Koyal was seen claiming that allegations of sexual abuse in Sandeshkhali were “staged”.
    
The BJP leader had claimed in his petition that technology-aided videos mimicking his voice were being circulated in a bid to defame him.
    
Claiming that such purported videos were creating tension in Sandeshkhali and that he was apprehending a threat to his safety, Koyal also sought an order by the court for granting central force security to him.
    
The petitioner also stated that he has already met CBI officials over the alleged use of his fake voice.
    
The CBI is probing alleged sexual atrocities and land-grabbing cases in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas on an earlier order of the Calcutta High Court.
    
The West Bengal government has moved an appeal before the Supreme Court, challenging the high court order.
   
The apex court posted the state’s plea for hearing in July, and made it clear that pendency of its petition will not be used as a ground for any purpose.
Crime, Politics, Regional, West Bengal

New video claims over 70 women received money to take part in Sandeshkhali protest

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In the video, lasting over 45 minutes, a man resembling Sandeshkhali mandal president Gangadhar Kayal told this to the questioner

PTI, Calcutta, 12.05.24 : 

In a purported video that surfaced from Sandeshkhali, a local BJP leader was heard saying that over 70 women had received Rs 2,000 each for taking part in protests against local TMC satrap Shahjahan Sheikh and his aides who were accused of sexual assault and land grab.

In the video, lasting over 45 minutes, a man resembling Sandeshkhali mandal president Gangadhar Kayal told this to the questioner. It was Kayal who had earlier said in another purported clip, the first in a series in the past week, that the rape allegations were “staged”.

PTI did not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.

In the latest tape that surfaced on Saturday night, Kayal was heard saying that 70 women got Rs 2,000 each for taking part in protests against Sheikh who was arrested and later suspended by the police.

“We will need Rs 2.5 lakh in cash for 50 booths where 30 per cent of protesters would be women. We have to keep the SC, ST and OBC people here in good humour by paying them satisfactorily. In any situation, women will form the front row confronting the police,” he said in the video.

Kayal could not be contacted, but the BJP has dubbed the videos as fake.

TMC spokesperson Riju Dutta said,”The truth of the BJP’s fake narrative on Sandeshkhali is tumbling out of the closet.” Multiple purported videos of Sandeshkhali women have surfaced and shared by the TMC in the past few days.

In the first such videotape that emerged on May 4, Kayal was heard saying that the “staged” protests were lodged at the behest of Leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, who was behind the “whole conspiracy”.

The second video was about women, who had earlier filed rape complaints, claiming that they were made to sign a blank paper by the BJP leaders and coerced to go to the police station.

In another clip, BJP candidate from Basirhat constituency and Sandeshkhali protestor Rekha Patra claimed that she “doesn’t know the rape survivors who were taken to Delhi to meet the President.” The TMC has already moved the Election Commission against National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma accusing her that she had misused her official position by allegedly telling some of the women in Sandeshkhali to lodge rape complaints against TMC leaders in the area.

“The TMC is using fake videos to change the narrative ahead of the polls. The TMC has the least regard for NCW or the dignity of the women of Sandeshkhali. All the videos released are fake and doctored,” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said.

The riverine Sandeshkhali area — situated on the borders of the Sundarbans, about 100 kilometres from Kolkata — had been on the boil in February with protests over allegations of sexual abuse and land grab against now arrested TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his supporters.
Crime, Politics, Regional, West Bengal

Bengal teachers’ recruitment ‘scam’: TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya withdraws plea from Supreme Court

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Bhattacharya, a former chairperson of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 11 last year after night-long questioning
 Manik Bhattacharya, TT, 

PTI, New Delhi, 11.05.24 : Jailed TMC MLA Manik Bhattacharya has withdrawn from the Supreme Court his bail plea in a case related to alleged irregularities in the recruitment of primary school teachers in West Bengal.

A bench comprising justices Bela M Trivedi and Pankaj Mithal allowed Bhattacharya to file a fresh plea with some additional documents before the High Court.

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“The High Court may consider the petition as filed by the petitioner on merits and as expeditiously as possible. High Court may consider the matter afresh and in accordance with the law,” the bench said.

Bhattacharya, a former chairperson of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on October 11 last year after night-long questioning.

The ED alleged the Palashipara MLA was not cooperating with the investigation.

On December 15, 2023, the top court had issued a notice to the ED on Bhattacharya’s appeal against a November 16 Calcutta High Court order rejecting his bail application.

The top court had on February 16 granted bail to Bhattacharya’s son Souvik in a money laundering case related to the case.
Crime, Politics, West Bengal

Remove unauthorised political party offices: HC

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MP, 10 May 2024, Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court on Friday directed for the demolition of three unauthorised political party offices which were built on the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) property. 

Following Justice Amrita Sinha’s order, a joint inspection was conducted by HIDCO and New Town Kolkata Development Authority (NKDA) wherein they identified the unauthorised structures. HIDCO filed a report mentioning that the area where the construction had taken place was owned by it. It was further placed before the court that the authorities were unaware of the setup. 
The advocate for the petitioner submitted that there were other similar constructions in the area as well. It was submitted that 35 such constructions, all party offices, were made within the HIDCO area. 
“Why don’t the authorities open a public redressal forum, wherein the public will give information on the unauthorised construction?” Justice Sinha questioned, adding: “You cannot protect your own property? Occupying the sidewalk? Built without any authorisation? 
Don’t you have any specific law?” According to a news agency, the three party offices were constructed by members of Trinamool Congress (TMC). On Friday, it was reported that most of these offices were locked and the banners were removed. Notice by HIDCO was found at the premises. 
Since the authorities have come to a conclusive finding that no permission was granted for raising the construction, Justice Sinha directed authorities not to allow the constructions to be used by any person for any purpose. 
The police were also directed to keep a strict vigil to ensure the same. The authorities were further directed to take steps for removal/demolition of the unauthorised construction at the earliest. 
 https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/remove-unauthorised-political-party-offices-hc-563317