Calcutta High Court
"Demeans Modesty Of Victim": Calcutta High Court On Other Students Being Shown In Media Coverage Of Alleged Gang-Rape At South Calcutta Law College; Seeks Answers From State, College
|The Court took serious note of visuals aired by television channels and circulated on social media that may have revealed or confused the identity of the victim, stating that such misidentification demeans the modesty of the victim and other students shown.
The Calcutta High Court has directed the State and College authorities to respond to the allegations and issues raised in a public interest petition concerning the alleged gang-rape of a law student inside South Calcutta Law College, in the event the same are reiterated in a fresh petition to be filed by the petitioner.
A Division Bench of Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Smita Das De observed, “We would like the response from the College and the State Administration with regard to the allegations and issues raised in paragraph 6 of this petition, in the event the said allegations and/or issues are also raised in the writ petition to be filed in terms of this order by the adjourned date.”
Brief Facts
A public interest litigation was filed by an Advocate seeking a court-monitored CBI probe into the alleged gang-rape of a law student on the night of June 25, 2025 inside South Calcutta Law College. The petition described the incident as a reflection of systemic failure involving political coercion, lack of campus security, and institutional indifference.
It alleged that the victim had been subjected to coercion by politically affiliated individuals and threatened with violence and false implication. Despite prior complaints, no preventive action was allegedly taken by the college administration or the police.
The petition raised questions regarding unauthorised access to the premises after hours, the absence of surveillance infrastructure, and the presence of staff on campus beyond official hours. It also alleged suppression of student protests in the aftermath and sought a court-monitored investigation, formation of a judicial fact-finding committee, a ban on ex-students’ after-hours access to the campus, and the implementation of Internal Complaints Committees under the POSH Act and UGC Guidelines.
Reasoning of the Court
The Court noted that the PIL suffered from incurable defects and allowed the Petitioner to withdraw it. The Bench granted liberty to file a fresh petition on the same cause of action and directed that, if the same issues are raised, the State and College shall respond.
The Court said, “We would like the response from the College and the State Administration with regard to the allegations and issues raised in paragraph 6 of this petition, in the event the said allegations and/or issues are also raised in the writ petition to be filed in terms of this order by the adjourned date.”
The Court also expressed concern over certain media visuals showing female students of the college, which may have led to mistaken identification. It noted, “It has been brought to the attention of the Court that few girl students of the same College have been shown in various channels and social media which is likely to create an impression that the female shown would be the victim whose identity should be preserved and not disclosed under any circumstances. It demeans the modesty of the victim and the female who have been shown with a mistaken identity.”
The Bench stated that the State Home Department may issue an advisory to all media houses, and appropriate complaints may be lodged if such confusion arises through social media.
It was recorded that the victim is represented and is receiving necessary support from the SIT. The Court directed that she be heard in both petitions
The matter stands adjourned to July 10, 2025.
Cause Title: Souma Subhra Ray v. Union of India & Ors. (WPA (P) 238 of 2025)
Appearance:
Petitioner: Advocates Shamik Chatterjee, Aditya Bikram Mahata, Neelam Kumari
For Calcutta University: Advocates Nilotpal Chatterjee, Sourabh Sengupta
For State: Senior Advocate Kalyan Kr. Bandyopadhyay; Advocates Swapan Banerjee, Debanjan Mandal, Biswaroop Bhattacharya, Sandip Dasgupta, Sirsanya Bandyopadhyay, Debayan Sen, Mahima Cholera, Sumita Shaw, Arko Nag, Rahul Singh
For CBI: Special Public Prosecutor Amajit De; Advocate Arka Bhattacharya
For Union of India: ASG Asok Kumar Chakraborti; Senior Advocate Kumar Jyoti Tewari; Advocate Arijit Majumdar
For Victim: Advocate-on-Record Yuvraj Chatterjee; Advocates Arindam Jana, Jhuma Sen, Sumanta Ganguly, Swastika Chatterjee, Rahul Surtari, Samsul Laskar, Pritish Bandyopadhyay, Shabbir Biswas