‘Happened in institution meant to uphold rule of law': Lawyer asks Calcutta HC to take suo motu cognisance of rape at college

Indian Express

a day ago

A lawyer of the Calcutta High Court has urged Chief Justice T S Sivagnanam to take suo motu cognisance of the rape at a Kolkata law college, arguing that the state machinery will otherwise 'continue its descent into callous inertia, and evidence may be destroyed, witnesses may be silenced, and justice will be permanently derailed'.
Advocate Souma Subhra Ray wrote in his letter, 'As the voice of a frightened student community, a shaken civil society, and a democratic conscience that bleeds today in the wake of a heinous and unconscionable act of sexual violence perpetrated on the evening of 25th June, 2025.'
'This was not a spontaneous crime of opportunity; it was politically motivated, premeditated, and brazenly executed within the walls of an institution meant to uphold and teach the rule of law. What is even more horrifying is that despite prior complaints, threats to the victim, and a pattern of coercion aimed at forcing her into certain politically affiliated student activities, neither the college administration nor the local police authorities acted,' he further wrote.
Ray has asked the high court to make five considerations. Firstly, issuing directions for a court-monitored, independent criminal investigation, preferably by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), secondly, constituting a judicial commission, headed by a retired judge of the court, to investigate the institutional, administrative, and security failures that permitted this incident to occur; thirdly, directing the West Bengal government and the university authorities to undertake immediate audits of safety and surveillance systems across all law colleges and higher educational institutions, with special attention to the enforcement of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 and UGC safety guidelines; fourthly, calling for an explanation from the police and local administration on the use of force against peaceful protesters and the denial of democratic expression; and finally, issuing appropriate interim directions to safeguard evidence, ensure witness protection, and prevent the further erosion of public trust in the law enforcement system.
Ray described the incident not just as a crime against one individual but as a 'monumental institutional failure — a breakdown of every constitutional assurance granted to our citizens under Articles 14, 15(3), 19(1)(a), 21 and 51A(e)'.
Ray further wrote in his letter, 'If Your Lordship does not intervene, the State machinery will continue its descent into callous inertia, and evidence may be destroyed, witnesses may be silenced, and justice will be permanently derailed. The culture of impunity and patriarchy, particularly in institutions of legal education, will only deepen leaving countless more students exposed and unprotected.'
A first-year student of the law college was allegedly raped on Wednesday in the security guard's room on the campus. The survivor's medical examination done in a state-run hospital has corroborated her statements, officials said without divulging details.
On Thursday, a contractual staffer and former student of the college, Monojit Mishra, 31, and two students — Zaib Ahmed, 19, and Pramit Mukherjee, 20–were arrested on the basis of a complaint lodged by the survivor.
On Saturday, a security guard of the college, Pinaki Banerjee, was also arrested. The survivor's statement has been recorded by a magistrate under Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita section 183.