RG Kar rape-murder: Victim’s parents approach Calcutta HC seeking fresh probe

Posted on by Vividh Bharathi

Kolkata, Dec 19 (IANS) Not satisfied with the current course of investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the ghastly rape and murder of a junior doctor of R.G. Kar Medical College & Hospital in Kolkata in August this year, the parents of the victim on Thursday approached the Calcutta High Court seeking a court direction for initiating a fresh probe into the matter.

The victim’s parents have claimed that they do not have any faith in the course of the current investigation by the central agency in the matter and hence they want a fresh investigation from the beginning in the matter.

The parents have moved the single-judge Bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh with their petition in the matter.

Justice Ghosh has admitted the petition and the matter might come up for hearing next week.

According to the parents, since the trial process in the matter has already started and the statements of the witnesses are being recorded, unless the Calcutta High Court intervenes in the matter right now, there might be possibilities of the probe going in the wrong direction.

Since the time a special court in Kolkata last week granted “default bail” to two individuals accused of tampering with the evidence since the CBI was unable to file a supplementary charge sheet against them within 90 days from the day of their arrest, the victim’s parents as well as the representatives of the state’s medical fraternity had been accusing the CBI of gross incompetence in the matter.

Those two accused persons were the former principal of R.G. Kar Sandip Ghosh and the former SHO of Tala Police Station Abhijit Mondal. Ghosh is still behind bars because of the pending parallel probe by the CBI against him in the case of financial irregularities at R.G. Kar, while Mondal is already out on bail.

The CBI so far has filed only one charge sheet in the case were civic volunteer Sanjay Roy had been identified as the “sole prime accused” in the rape and murder.

Recently, the victim’s parents have also changed their counsel representing them at the Supreme Court of India.

West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front, an umbrella of the body of the junior doctors in the state spearheading the movement on this issue, has already threatened to resume their protests which they withdrew earlier keeping the larger public interest in mind.

–IANS

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J’khand HC stays publication of CGL exam results, orders FIR on paper leak complaint

Ranchi, Dec 17 (IANS) The Jharkhand High Court has stayed the publication of the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Examination 2023 results conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) until further orders.

The decision came while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Rajesh Kumar and others here on Tuesday, seeking a CBI enquiry into the alleged exam paper leak.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao and Justice Deepak Roshan directed the state government to register an FIR under the Examination Conducting Act, 2023 based on the complaint of the JSSC CGL exam paper leak. The Bench also instructed the authorities to submit an investigation report.

The petitioner, Rajesh Kumar, had earlier lodged an online complaint to register an FIR at the concerned police station, but no action was taken.

During the previous hearing, it was informed that the JSSC CGL examination was initially held on January 28, 2024, in which a large number of candidates participated. However, allegations of a question paper leak surfaced, prompting protests and the cancellation of the examination.

Later, the examination was re-conducted on September 21 and September 22. Despite the retest, fresh complaints regarding a paper leak emerged.

The PIL claims that the probe conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed by the state police has not been transparent, as its findings have not been made public.

The petitioners are now demanding a CBI or judicial enquiry into the matter.

The JSSC CGL examination, held on September 21-22 across 823 examination centres in Jharkhand, witnessed the participation of 3,04,769 candidates. Based on the results, the JSSC shortlisted 2,145 candidates on December 5, whose document verification process began on December 16 and is scheduled to conclude on December 20.

The High Court’s order to stay the result publication and register an FIR comes amid rising concerns over the fairness of the examination process.

On December 10, students in Hazaribagh blocked the highway for nearly four hours, prompting a police lathi-charge to clear the demonstration.

The JSSC had earlier formed a committee to investigate the allegations, which later dismissed claims of irregularities.

–IANS

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TVK chief Vijay hits out at Amit Shah’s remarks on Ambedkar

Chennai, Dec 19 (IANS) Tamil superstar and President of Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK), Vijay, has criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his recent remarks about B.R. Ambedkar in the Parliament.

In a post on Wednesday on the social media platform X, Vijay expressed his outrage, suggesting that some individuals may be “allergic” to Ambedkar’s name.

He lauded Ambedkar as an “incomparable political and intellectual personality” who represents the spirit of freedom for all Indian citizens.

Vijay emphasised that Ambedkar’s legacy is a beacon of hope for marginalised communities and a symbol of resistance against social injustice.

He vowed to continuously chant Ambedkar’s name, underscoring his deep admiration for the iconic leader.

“Ambedkar… Ambedkar… Ambedkar… Let us keep chanting his name with joy in our hearts and on our lips,” the TVK President said.

Opposition parties across the country have also condemned Amit Shah’s remarks in the Rajya Sabha on December 17.

Union Home Minister Shah had said that there is now a “fashion” to repeatedly invoke Ambedkar’s name, adding that if the Opposition had taken God’s name as often, they would have reached heaven.

The Union Home Minister’s comments have drawn widespread criticism.

Vijay had mentioned Ambedkar as one of the ideological mentors of the TVK during his party’s first rally in Vikravandi, northern Tamil Nadu.

This region has a significant Dalit population and is considered a stronghold of Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) President Thol. Thirumavalavan.

Thirumavalavan’s VCK is formerly known as the Dalit Panthers of India.

Vijay’s newly formed party appears to be targeting Dalit voters, leveraging his strong following among marginalised communities since his movie career.

Vijay has been popular among Dalits and other marginalised groups due to the socially relevant roles he played in films, which resonated with these communities.

According to the 2011 Census, Dalits constitute around 20 per cent of Tamil Nadu’s population.

Activists, however, estimate that this figure may have increased by six per cent in recent years.

–IANS

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Kerala temple trusts moves SC challenging restrictions on elephant management in Thrissur Pooram

New Delhi, Dec 17 (IANS) The temple trusts of Thiruvambady and Paramekkavu Devaswoms have petitioned the Supreme Court challenging the restrictions imposed by the Kerala High Court on elephant management in Thrissur Pooram.

Billed as the “mother of all festivals” in Kerala, the Thrissur Pooram was started by Sakthan Thampuran, the Maharaja of the erstwhile Kochi state, in the late 18th century.

The most keenly watched event of the Pooram festivities is the elephant parade — of more than 50 jumbos, besides the firecracker displays, that starts in the afternoon and continues till the early hours of the next day.

The special leave petition filed before the apex court said that the Kerala HC erred in issuing directions for festival-specific matters without any violation of the Central statute such as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 or the 2012 Rules.

It added that judicial interference was warranted only in the absence of a statutory framework and by ignoring the robust statutory scheme provided by the 2012 Rules, the Kerala High Court “has arbitrarily supplanted the role of the legislature and executive in regulating such festivals”.

The appeal, filed through advocate Abhilash M.R., said that the “spatial restriction” mandating a minimum distance of 3 meters between elephants brings the historic festival to a grinding halt, as the thousand-year-old venue, theVadakkumnathan Temple, integral to Thrissur Pooram, cannot accommodate such constraints.

“This venue, with its traditional layout, has been the epicentre of the Pooram for centuries and the direction by the Kerala High Court disregards the significance of the historic and UNESCO-recognised tradition,” it added.

The Kerala High Court had restrained the use of elephants in the state’s temples on the pretext of tradition, while considering a batch of writ petitions for the prohibition of cruelty against captive elephants in Kerala by their parading and exhibition in temples and festivals.

In its impugned decision, the Kerala HC said: “We do not believe that there is any essential religious practice of any religion that mandates the use of elephants in festivals. In other words, the animal is treated as a tradable commodity with its owner or custodian being concerned only with commercial returns. Reportedly, the festivals in Kerala are now so commercialised that even before a festival, there is a war or a sort of competition amongst temple committees tasked with the conduct of festivals regarding the number of elephants being paraded as well as the fame of particular elephants/elephants being paraded.”

It took note of the submission that between 2018-2024, 160 captive elephants have died or in other words, in Kerala, for the years 2018-2024, nearly 33 per cent of the total number of recorded captive elephants (509 in 2018) have died during this short period of seven years.

Looking into all aspects, the Kerala High Court ordered that henceforth, festival organisers must submit applications with all the relevant details before the authorities concerned at least one month prior to the festival.

It also directed the authorities concerned that they should ensure that elephants must get a rest period between two exhibitions which will not be less than three days; besides, the exhibitors have to ensure that elephants are given sufficient food, a continuous supply of potable water and a temporary tethering facility which is clean and spacious.

Further, it ordered that elephants must not be paraded on public roads between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. and they should not be transported between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m besides elephants must get at least eight hours of rest during a continuous period of 24 hours.

–IANS

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