Crime
Hijab row: Teachers are being threatened, counsel tells K’taka HC
The Karnataka High Court was on Wednesday informed by counsel appearing for teachers on Wednesday that the teachers of the Udupi Pre-University Girl’s College have been threatened against the backdrop of hijab row.
Senior counsel S.S. Naganand informed the three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi that he has received information about teachers being threatened and a complaint has been lodged in this regard with the local police. “Teachers are threatened by an organisation,” he said.
At this, Justice Krishna S. Dixit, who is also on the bench along with Justice J.M. Khazi, took objection and asked why the matter was not brought to the notice of the bench. “You should have disclosed it to us. Are you afraid of it or what?” he questioned Advocate General Prabhuling Navadgi. Navadgi stated that he does not have the information on the development, and will seek an update.
Naganand also told the bench about the role of the Campus Front of India (CFI) in creating the hijab row in the state. “CFI is drum-beating and chest-beating for hijab. They are not representatives of anyone. It is a radical organisation which is coming and creating commotion on hijab row,” he claimed.
At this, the Chief Justice asked what information does the government have on this organisation. “How this hijab row came to fore suddenly, does the government have intelligence inputs?” he asked.
Naganand also contended that the allegations of threats against the principals and teachers are “sweeping and generalised”.
“It is not mentioned what threat was given? The threat is shown as to mark them absent. What is the threat here?
“The teachers have quasi-parental authority on students. If the child is doing something which it is not supposed to do in the school, they will be warned and if they are still defiant in the class, they will be punished. It is a matter of discipline.
“Authority of schools cannot be belittled. The decision regarding hijab has not been questioned since 2004. Let drum beaters not threaten the society. It is a harmonious society and in Udupi, from where the hijab row has started, religious pontiffs are supported by Muslims. They attend functions, they help, assist,” Naganand said.
The hijab row which started from Udupi Pre-University Girls’ College has become a crisis in the state, with students refusing to attend classes without hijab and maintaining that they will wait until the final verdict is given. the high court had issued an interim order banning both hijab and saffron shawls or scarves inside the classrooms, the agitation is ongoing.
The special bench is hearing the matter on a day-to-today basis and has asked the counsel to complete their submissions by this weekend.
Crime
CJI-led SC bench fixes Jan 29 to hear suo moto RG Kar case
New Delhi, Jan 22: The Supreme Court on Wednesday fixed January 29 for hearing the matter where it has taken suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder of a junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata in August 2024.
“We will take it up at 2 pm next Wednesday (January 29),” said a bench of CJI Sanjiv Khanna and comprising Justices Sanjay Kumar and KV Viswanathan as it deferred the hearing due to paucity of time.
The CJI Khanna-led Bench asked senior advocate Karuna Nundy, representing the associations of medical professionals, to provide a copy of interlocutory applications filed to the other side.
Meanwhile, the West Bengal government has approached the Calcutta High Court, challenging the verdict of a Kolkata special court awarding life imprisonment to Sanjay Roy, the sole accused and the convict in the rape and murder case of the woman doctor.
As the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday morning before a division bench of Justices Debangshu Basak and Shabbar Rashidi, the CBI challenged the petition filed by the state government and questioned the grounds on which it could make such an appeal.
Deputy Solicitor General, Rajdeep Majumdar, argued that it was only the CBI, which is the investigating agency in the case, and the victim’s parents who could move such a plea at a higher court, and not the state government, which is not a party in the case.
To support his contention, Majumdar referred to a case filed by the CBI against former Bihar Chief Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal Chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, where the state government’s plea was not considered by the Patna High Court.
Whether the West Bengal government’s petition will be admissible or not will be decided by the Calcutta High Court on January 27.
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the Bengal government would move the Calcutta High Court challenging the quantum of the sentence and the state government would be seeking the death penalty for the convict.
“I am convinced that it is indeed a rarest of rare cases which demands capital punishment. We want to insist upon the death penalty in this most sinister and sensitive case,” the Chief Minister said.
While pronouncing the quantum of the sentence, special court judge Anirban Das said that the Central Bureau of Investigation’s (CBI) contention that Roy’s offence in the matter was “the rarest and rare crimes” was not tenable.
Hence, the judge observed that instead of the “death penalty”, Roy, an erstwhile civic volunteer attached to Kolkata Police, be sentenced to “life imprisonment”. Apart from that a fine of Rs 50,000 was also imposed on Roy.
The special court, at the same time, directed the West Bengal government to pay a compensation of Rs 17 lakh to the family of the deceased victim.
It observed that since the victim was raped and murdered at her workplace, which is a state-government entity, the West Bengal government is legally bound to pay compensation to the victim’s family.
In an earlier hearing held in November 2024, the Supreme Court had remarked that it would not pass any direction to transfer the trial of the ghastly rape and murder case outside West Bengal.
A bench, headed by then CJI D.Y. Chandrachud, turned down the oral prayer made by a lawyer seeking transfer of trial outside West Bengal.
“Yes, we have transferred cases (of gender violence) in Manipur. But we are not doing anything like that here,” it had remarked.
The apex court had noted that the trial would commence on November 11 at a special court in Kolkata after charges were framed against the “sole prime accused” in the case, Sanjay Roy.
The process of the framing of charges was completed on November 4, exactly 87 days after the body of the woman junior doctor was discovered at a seminar hall within the state-run R.G. Kar premises on the morning of August 9, 2024.
In October, the CBI filed its first charge sheet against Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police, in the alleged rape and murder case.
In the charge sheet, the CBI did not rule out the possibilities of a larger conspiracy behind the macabre crime that prompted alleged events of tampering and altering of evidence during the initial phase of the investigation which was carried out by Kolkata Police.
Besides Roy, two others arrested by the CBI officials in the matter are RG Kar Medical College and Hospital’s former Principal, Sandip Ghosh, and the former SHO of Tala Police Station, Abhijit Mondal. RG Kar comes under the jurisdiction of Tala Police Station.
The main charges against Ghosh and Mondal are for misleading the investigation when the Kolkata Police were probing the matter before it was handed over to CBI by the Calcutta High Court.
Both have been accused of tampering with evidence in the case. Taking suo moto cognisance of the rape and murder case of the junior doctor at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata, the Supreme Court had termed the incident “horrific,” which raises the “systemic issue of safety of doctors across the country”.
“We are deeply concerned about the fact that there is an absence of safe conditions of work for young doctors across the country, particularly, public hospitals,” it had said.
The apex court had ordered the formation of the NTF (National Task Force) to suggest measures for the security of medical professionals across the country, observing that the safety of doctors is the “highest national concern”.
Crime
Saif, family should narrate horrific knife attack: Sanjay Nirupam
Mumbai, Jan 22: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Nirupam defended his remarks about Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan’s “swift” recovery following a knife attack at his Bandra residence, urging the actor’s family to clarify the events surrounding the incident.
Nirupam’s remarks came after Saif was discharged from Lilavati Hospital just five days after sustaining serious injuries, including spinal and neck injuries, during a burglary attempt at his 12th-floor flat in the upscale ‘Satguru Sharan’ building.
Speaking to Media, Nirupam said, “Whatever happened to Saif Ali Khan on January 16 is deeply concerning. While we respect the family, it is surprising to see Saif looking fit enough to shoot just days after being discharged. The doctors had stated the knife penetrated 2.5 inches into his back, requiring a six-hour operation. How is such a swift recovery medically possible?”
He added that Saif’s rapid recovery raises questions about the initial severity of the injuries described by doctors and witnesses. Nirupam demanded that both the family and the medical team provide clarity on the “horrific” knife attack.
“When Saif was attacked, it became a matter of law and order in Mumbai. Opposition leaders accused the government and Home Minister of failing. In such a situation, the family should explain what transpired,” Nirupam said.
Nirupam also commented on the accused, Mohammad Shariful Islam Shehzad, a Bangladeshi national arrested by the Mumbai Police. He called for strict action against such individuals, citing the involvement of Bangladeshis in criminal activities in the city.
The Mumbai Police arrested the accused, a 30-year-old Bangladeshi national, from Thane city. The intruder allegedly stabbed Saif multiple times during a struggle, escaping the scene and hiding in the building’s garden for two hours before fleeing.
“The police will have to be given some benefit of the doubt because when such an incident takes place, a big incident occurs, then there is a lot of pressure on the police, and when it is felt from all sides that law and order has collapsed,” he said.
“I do not think it is right to doubt the capability of Mumbai police immediately, as it is sufficient to solve any type of criminal incident,” Nirupam said.
The 54-year-old actor, who underwent neurosurgery and plastic surgery, was advised complete bed rest for a week and has been asked to avoid visitors to prevent infection. Despite his injuries, Saif walked out of the hospital without a wheelchair, escorted by heavy police security.
Meanwhile, Saif has returned to his Bandra home under tight security. The actor has been advised to focus on his recovery as the investigation continues.
Crime
RG Kar Rape & Murder Case: West Bengal Govt Seeks Death Penalty, Calcutta HC To Hear Case On January 27
Kolkata: The West Bengal government has appealed to the Calcutta High Court’s Division Bench against the trial court’s life imprisonment verdict convicting Sanjay Roy in the RG Kar case. The next hearing in the case will be held on 27th January.
Advocate General Kishore Dutta has approached the division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak, seeking the death penalty for Sanjay Roy. The matter has been allowed to be filed.
The Sealdah Civil and Criminal Court announced life imprisonment for the accused Sanjay Roy in the RG Kar rape and murder case. Along with this, the court has also fined Rs 50,000 to the accused.
West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee Expresses Dissatisfaction
Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday expressed dissatisfaction over the court giving life imprisonment to the convict in the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case and said if the case had been with Kolkata Police, they would have ensured a death penalty.
“I learned about the sentencing from the media. We have always demanded capital punishment and we continue to stand by it. However, this is the court’s decision and I can’t say much about this. For three other cases, Kolkata police ensured capital punishment through thorough investigations concluded within 54-60 days. This was a serious case. Had it been under our purview, we would have ensured the death penalty long back,” CM Mamata said while addressing the media at Malda.
Victim’s Father Rejects Compensation
On Monday, RG Kar’s rape and murder case victim’s father rejected the Rs 17 lakh compensation and said that he will move to a higher court seeking the death penalty for the accused.
Speaking to Media, the victim’s father said “What the Court thinks as a good judgement based on the evidence produced by the CBI, the Court has given that verdict. We have a lot of questions on the investigation done by CBI. We did not go to the court for compensation. We want justice, not compensation. Kolkata police did wrong and the CBI will have to do something. The Kolkata police have given us more pain than the passing away of my daughter.”
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