By News18
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday directed that all union rooms in colleges and universities across West Bengal be shut down and issued instructions to the State Higher Education Department on the same.
“If union rooms are to be used for official purposes, permission must be obtained from the Principal or Registrar, and written approval must be kept. Union rooms cannot be used for recreational purposes,” the court said.
A Division Bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De ordered the state government to explain the steps it has taken in connection with the investigation in the gangrape case of a law student in South Kolkata Law College.
“We need a report from the State about what steps they have taken after the FIR was filed. We need it in writing. We shall see the progress of the investigation and then pass appropriate orders,” Bar and Bench quoted the bench as saying.
The court also asked the Mamata Banerjee government and the college to explain how a former student – Manojit Mishra, the main accused in the case – was allowed inside the campus after official hours.
The High Court cited four questions raised in a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Souma Subhra Ray seeking CBI probe in the case, and asked the government and the college to respond to the same, Bar and Bench reported.
Why were staff members present on campus long past official college hours without any official purpose or administrative supervision?
What monitoring or security measures, if any, were in place to prevent or detect unauthorised access to sensitive areas of the college building?
Why did the college administration and local police take no preventive action, despite having been allegedly informed of threats made against the victim well in advance?
Why does a reputed law college lack essential surveillance infrastructure such as CCTV coverage and a functioning security apparatus, especially when gender-based violence is on the rise?
The next hearing on the matter is scheduled for July 17.
The family of the victim has expressed temporary satisfaction with the Kolkata Police’s investigation. The victim is receiving support from the SIT, and the family is also cooperating with the SIT in the investigation, the family’s lawyers — Arindam Jana and Jhuma Sen — informed the court.