Calcutta high court grants relief to Padma awardee monk in alleged rape case
The court also accepted the monk's request for an in-camera hearing, which is scheduled to begin on Thursday.
Swami Pradiptananda, popularly known as Kartik Maharaj, is head of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha's Beldanga ashram in Murshidabad. Skipping a police summon for interrogation he moved the court on Tuesday, seeking quashing of the FIR.
'The bench of justice Jay Sengupta heard Kartik Maharaj's petition on Wednesday and directed the government not to take any immediate action on the basis of the FIR and wait for the hearing instead,' lawyer Koustav Bagchi, who represented the monk, told HT.
Lawyer Sandipan Ganguly, who represented the alleged rape survivor, objected to the appeal for in-camera hearing, saying monks who faced similar charges in the past were tried in open court. Ganguly cited the example of Gujarat's Asaram Bapu.
'Reacting to this, the bench expressed surprise on why the Murshidabad woman did not file any complaint in 13 years,' Bagchi said.
The woman has alleged in her complaint lodged at the Lalbagh police station that Swami Pradiptananda raped her repeatedly between 2012 and 2019 by promising her a job. She has alleged that she was forced to undergo an abortion in 2013.
The woman has also claimed to have talked to the monk over the phone on June 12 and alleged that two men sent by him threatened her the following day.
The monk has shared dais with Bharatiya Janata Party's Bengal leaders such as Suvendu Adhikari several times in recent months. In May 2024, chief minister Mamata Banerjee publicly accused him of helping the BJP in the then ongoing Lok Sabha polls. The monk sent a legal notice to Banerjee, demanding an unconditional apology, but she stuck to her allegations.
The ruling Trinamool Congress unleashed a fresh attack on the monk after he moved the high court.
Bengal BJP leaders have alleged that the TMC was trying to frame Kartik Maharaj with trumped up charges.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
13 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Government counters Opposition campaign that delayed emergency response caused hospital collapse death
The State government appeared to scramble to contradict the Opposition's strident campaign that the 'callous delay' in search and rescue operations had cost the life of Bindu, 52, the sole fatality in the partial collapse of a building on the Kottayam Government Medical College Hospital (MCH) campus on Thursday. Cooperation Minister V.N. Vasavan, who called on Bindu's bereaved family at Thalayolaparambu on Friday, told reporters that the post-mortem report indicated Bindu had died instantaneously. 'She had suffered a fatal head injury from the falling debris,' he said. Mr. Vasavan termed the Congress's propaganda that the government's uncaring inference that no one was under the debris had caused Bindu to suffer a lingering death as 'a maliciously misleading lie.' He said Bindu was acting as a bystander for her daughter, Veena, who required a costly and protracted treatment, including complicated surgeries, when the tragedy struck. 'Free of cost' Mr. Vasavan said Apollo Hospital would treat Ms. Veena free of cost. The government would provide temporary employment to Bindu's son. The Cabinet on July 11 will declare the compensation amount for Bindu's family based on the report submitted by the Kottayam Collector. Quoting a timeline, Mr. Vasavan said the Ministers and officials had reached the accident site within minutes of the collapse. He told the decades-old building lacked a separate pathway for emergency responders. 'Firefighters had to cut through an iron barricade to move earth movers to the spot for the search and rescue mission. Any attempt to punch a way through the structure to reach the accident site would have caused further mishap,' he said. The administration evacuated 360 patients from six wards to a safer block. The two injured individuals were transferred to critical care units. Mr. Vasavan accused the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising the tragedy for 'cheap media mileage.' He criticised the Congress for laying siege to the hospital and blocking the ambulance carrying Bindu's dead body to her home. Organ transplants Mr. Vasavan also criticised the Congress and the BJP for seeking to tarnish the reputation of the hospital, which was at the forefront of organ transplants and cardiothoracic surgeries in the country. 'A liver transplant at the MCH costs only ₹3 lakh compared to ₹50 lakh charged by a corporate hospital,' he added. He also criticised the Congress and the BJP for allegedly disparaging hospital superintendent T.K. Jayakumar. 'Dr. Jayakumar, a winner of Kerala Shree and the State government's best doctor award, has conducted upwards of 2,000 heart surgeries, including valve replacement. He is instrumental in executing a ₹526-crore hospital development project, including the 14 surgical theatres, eight super speciality theatres and over 500 beds,' Mr. Vasavan said.
Time of India
14 minutes ago
- Time of India
Cooch Behar TMC neta shot at, BJP MLA's son, driver arrested
Jalpaiguri: A BJP MLA's son and his driver were arrested on Friday following an attack on a Cooch Behar Trinamool neta. Raju Dey, karmadhyaksha of Cooch Behar Block 2 Panchayat Samity, was travelling to his home on his bike when four persons shot at him near Jhinaidanga around 11 pm on Thursday, police said. The bullet hit Dey on his right shoulder. He underwent a surgery early on Friday at a private nursing home. His condition is said to be stable. Besides arresting Cooch Behar (Uttar) Sukumar Roy's son Subhankar and his driver Uttam Gupta, cops have also impounded the black SUV used by the attackers. An FIR has been lodged against four people. "The vehicle belongs to MLA Roy. Witnesses saw his son in the car at the time of the incident," a police officer said. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata In a video message, Dey said: "A couple of months back, locals in Chakchaka held protests against the MLA. The legislator was travelling in the same car back then. It was seen yesterday, too, when I was attacked." Cops had first arrested MLA Roy's elder son. Later, however, they released him and arrested the younger son. "Hunt is on to get the other two involved in the attack," said SP Dyutiman Bhattacharya. Following the attack, TMC posted on X: "The 2024 Lok Sabha results from Bengal made it clear that @BJP4India was rapidly losing ground in Cooch Behar. Now that the district has slipped from their iron-fisted grasp, they've returned to what they do best: unleashing BRUTE, MINDLESS VIOLENCE." TMC workers staged protests across the district, demanding punishment for culprits. "This is an exceptional case where the son of a BJP MLA is trying to kill our man. We would expect the governor and the NHRC to visit Cooch Behar as they do every time BJP blames our party," said TMC district president Avijit Dey Bhowmik. The MLA, however, said that the arrest of his son and the seizing of his car were parts of an effort to malign him. "With the assembly polls near, TMC netas have become desperate to gain ground in the district, especially in my constituency, as they know they will lose this time as well. They are therefore using cops to do what they do best," Roy said, claiming Dey was shot in factional fight.
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Time of India
BJP legislator gets interim protection over remarks against Karnataka chief secretary
Bengaluru: The Karnataka high court Friday granted interim protection to BJP MLC and opposition whip, SN Ravikumar in relation to a criminal case filed against him for allegedly making inappropriate comments on state chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh. On the same day, a special court for elected representatives in the city granted interim bail to the legislator, directing him to furnish a bond of Rs 1 lakh and provide two surities. Justice SR Krishna Kumar directed the state govt and police to refrain from taking coercive measures against Ravikumar until his petition for quashing the case is heard on July 8. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The case against Ravikumar stemmed from his alleged comments about Shalini during a demonstration near Vidhana Soudha. The remarks faced criticism from almost all quarters, including Karnataka IAS Officers' Association. Ravikumar subsequently issued a clarification denying any inappropriate intentions, explaining he merely meant to highlight the chief secretary's busy schedule. In his petition, Ravikumar claimed the proceedings initiated against him were politically influenced. According to him, the complainant is neither a victim nor an aggrieved person, and has lodged a complaint only to please their political masters, projecting his comments in a different context altogether. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Secure your family's future! ICICI Pru Life Insurance Plan Get Quote Undo On the other hand, state public prosecutor BA Belliyappa strongly opposed the grant of an interim order, suggesting it would affect police morale. He also pointed out the concerns from female IAS officers and referenced previous controversial statements by Ravikumar.
