PUCL Asks Calcutta HC To Monitor Rape-Murder Probe, State’s Compliance With POSH Act

The People’s Union For Civil Liberties has petitioned the Calcutta High Court regarding the brutal rape and murder of a 2nd-year PG medical student at RG Kar College and Hospital in Kolkata. The student was attacked after completing her night shift.

The petition, filed by Advocate Jhuma Sen, requests a court-monitored investigation and a compliance report from the West Bengal government on the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH), following Supreme Court guidelines.

The plea highlights the need to examine the institutional accountability, including the roles of the Principal and other officials at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. The High Court previously criticized the Principal’s actions post-incident and his quick reappointment to another college, calling these actions “suspicious” and placing him on indefinite leave.

The High Court transferred the investigation to the CBI after concerns that the state police had been ineffective and unsupportive. This decision followed nationwide protests over the gruesome incident. The CBI had just begun its probe when vandalism occurred.

A division bench, including Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharya, was reviewing multiple pleas, including one from the victim’s parents who had requested the investigation be handed to an independent agency due to dissatisfaction with the state police’s handling.

The Kolkata Police had arrested a local ‘civic volunteer’ in connection with the case, but this has been criticized as a cover-up attempt. The deceased’s parents, represented by Senior Advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, reported that they were initially misinformed about their daughter’s condition and were not allowed to see her body for hours.

The court acknowledged the urgency of the case and agreed with the parents’ concerns that further delays could destroy critical evidence.

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