Latest news with #KolkataHighCourt
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Failure to exercise restraint on social media may invite state intervention: Supreme Court
Cautioning that failure to exercise self-restraint on social media would invite state intervention, the Supreme Court Monday mulled framing guidelines to control 'divisive tendencies' on virtual platforms. Hearing a plea by Kolkata resident Wazahat Khan seeking consolidation of FIRs registered against him in different states over his 'offensive' social media posts, Justice B V Nagarathna presiding over a two-judge bench said, 'If they (citizens) want to enjoy the fundamental right of speech and expression, it should be with the reasonable restrictions also. Apart from that, there must be self-restraint and regulation also, to enjoy the valuable freedom, not like this abuse.' Pointing out that 'Article 19 is against the state, what you call it – verticality,' the judge asked, 'what about horizontality?' Justice Nagarathna said, 'One of the fundamental duties is to uphold the unity and integrity of the country… That is being violated. See all these divisive tendencies, at least on social media, must be curbed.' She then added, 'But to what extent the state can curb? Instead, why can't the citizens themselves regulate themselves? Citizens must know the value of freedom of speech and expression. If they don't, then the state will step in, and who wants the state to step in? Nobody wants the state to step in.' The bench also comprising Justice K V Viswanathan said, 'We will ask learned senior counsel for the petitioner to assist and also you the state to assist vis-à-vis the guidelines to be issued to the citizens to comply.' Justice Nagarathna sought to clarify, 'We are not speaking about censorship. But in the interest of fraternity, secularism and dignity of individuals… We will have to go into this beyond this petition.' It was on Khan's complaint that the Kolkata Police arrested law student Sharmishta Panoli, over her social media posts, from Haryana. She was later granted bail by the Kolkata High Court. However, it subsequently came to light that Khan himself had posted allegedly divisive content on social media, and FIRs came to be filed against him in Assam, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Haryana. During the pendency of the cases, the West Bengal Police also registered two FIRs against him and arrested him. Khan then approached the Supreme Court, which on June 23 directed that no coercive action be taken against him in the other state FIRs or any other FIR that may be registered in the future over the same allegations. On Monday, Senior Advocate Siddharth Agarwal, submitted that he is not defending the posts made by Khan, but added that he had deleted those and apologised for the same. Justice Nagarathna, however, said abuse of the freedom of speech can clog the legal system and wondered what the solution could be. 'This is happening in the country. There is no restraint. Freedom of speech and expression is a very very important freedom and a fundamental right. If there is abuse of that freedom leading to litigation and clogging of courts… There are also other criminal cases the police can attend to instead of chasing these kinds of cases. What is the solution to this?' she said, and added that 'we are not from the point of view of the state, we are asking from the point of view of citizens.' She further said that 'having an opinion is one thing, but to say that in a particular way is an abuse. Sometimes it will not come in the court in the context of hate speech.' Justice Nagarathna backed Justice Viswanathan's remarks that fraternity among citizens would help bring down the hate. 'My learned brother rightly said that there should be fraternity between the citizens, then all this hate will come down,' she remarked. Advocate Agarwal said, 'The oxygen of such speech is that people react,' and added that such awareness can be created 'essentially starting a social movement in the context of identification of hate or other kinds of egregious speech and then doing that social boycott at the very beginning.' Justice Viswanathan said that it was 'easier said than done.' He added, 'When will people start to find it jarring? All right-minded people. All citizens.' The counsel appearing for West Bengal said, 'It all boils down to awareness. It has already become jarring, but people have to realise. That self-reflection has to come.' He pointed out that self-regulation may be difficult as social media lack any editorial oversight. Posting the matter for hearing next after four weeks, the Court sought the assistance of the parties to examine the broader questions flagged by it. Recently, another bench of the Supreme Court, while dealing with the case of YouTuber Ranveer Allahabadia, too, flagged the need to regulate social media content without encroaching on the fundamental right to free speech and expression.
India.com
03-07-2025
- India.com
Kolkata Rape Case: Another Student Accuses Monojit Mishra Of Molestation
A week after Monojit Mishra was arrested for his alleged involvement in the gang rape of a Kolkata law college student, another student has accused him of molestation. The second-year student has accused him of molesting her and threatening her two years ago. According to a report, the victim claimed that the incident took place in October 2023, when she had gone to attend a function. She claimed that the accused, Monojeet Mishra, allegedly barged into an empty room where she had gone to make a phone call and molested and threatened her. Not only this, there have been multiple complaints of molestation, harassment, and extortion lodged against Monojit. Not only girls, but even boys have claimed to have been bullied and harassed by Monojit on campus. Meanwhile, the West Bengal Bar Council has cancelled the license of Monojit Mishra's lawyer and barred him from practicing law. The student was allegedly gang raped inside the South Calcutta Law College in Kasba area in the capital city of West Bengal on June 25. Kolkata High Court on Thursday sought a report from the West Bengal Government on the three Public Interest Litigation (PIL) regarding the alleged gangrape at the South Calcutta Law College in Kasba area. Earlier, BJP fact-finding committee member Manan Kumar Mishra stated alleged that the police were "hiding" the family of the rape survivor and not allowing anyone to meet the security guard, who is the fourth accused in the incident which took place on June 25 inside the campus of a law college in Kolkata. He further alleged that there was an attempt to "tamper" with the First Information Report to change the name of the accused. Mishra told ANI, "We visited everyone there and met other college staff also. When we saw some documents, it showed that some tampering had been done with the FIR. By looking at the document, it looks like someone attempted to change the name of the accused... We tried to talk to the victim, but it looks like the police are hiding the family of the victim and the family members... The guard is the best witness in this case, but they have also arrested him and are not letting him meet anyone..." "We will submit our report; however, that is a different thing, how the government of Mamata Banerjee will work on this..." he said. The Alipore court had on Tuesday sent the three main accused to police custody till July 8. The Court also sent the security guard, the fourth accused, to custody till July 4. The accused, Monojit, Pramit, and Zaib, will remain in police custody until July 8. The security guard, Pinaki, will be in custody until July 4.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Time of India
KP arrests man from Himachal for '22 bank fraud
Kolkata: The Kolkata Police's detective department arrested a man from Solan, Himachal Pradesh, in connection with a Rs 8.5 lakh bank fraud case dating back to 2022. The accused, Dheeraj Kumar, a resident of West Champaran, Bihar, was apprehended following a lengthy probe into the fraudulent withdrawal of a fixed deposit from a state-owned bank's Kasba branch. According to Rupesh Kumar, head of Kolkata Police's detective department, the fraud came to light when the victim, Soma Pal, discovered her FD was withdrawn without her knowledge upon its maturity. Probe revealed that members of the notorious Jamtara gang obtained Pal's confidential bank details and used them to break the FD. The money was subsequently used to settle a credit card bill, leading investigators to Kumar. "The case was transferred to the bank fraud division in 2025 following a Kolkata High Court order," a senior police official said. "Our surveillance team tracked the suspect to Solan, where he was arrested." Kumar is being brought to Kolkata on transit remand. Police officials believe his interrogation could help uncover other members of the fraud ring. The arrest marks a significant breakthrough in the case, which began with a complaint filed at Kasba police station by the victim, a resident of Kumarpara Lane.
Indian Express
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Murshidabad riots: Kolkata HC flags ‘inadequate' number of police personnel; Bengal counsel Kalyan Bandopadhyay rakes up Pahalgam terror attack
The Kolkata High Court Thursday advised the West Bengal government to employ more police personnel, given the deaths of a father and son in the Dhulian riots in Murshidabad. A Division Bench comprising Justice Soumen Sen and Justice Raja Basu Chowdhury observed, 'Now is the time to recruit sufficient police personnel. The number of police personnel in each district is less. The police force in Murshidabad is also very small.' The court further observed that if there had been a sufficient number of police personnel, the situation in Dhulian could have been brought under control much earlier. State counsel Kalyan Bandopadhyay replied, 'There is a shortage of forces in the entire country. If there were sufficient forces, the (terror) incident in Pahalgam would not have happened.' The court remarked that there should be a minimum number of personnel attached to every police station. The Division Bench, thereafter, released the petition for a CBI probe into the murder of the father and son, who were killed in the communal violence that rocked the Murshidabad district last month. A single-judge Bench of Justice Tirthankar Ghosh had earlier released the petition since a Division Bench was already hearing issues related to the incidents in Murshidabad. The matter will now be sent back to the Chief Justice of the high court so that it can be assigned to a new Bench for hearing. Haragobinda Das and his son Chandan Das were allegedly hacked to death by rioters at Dhulian in Murshidabad district on April 12 during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Leander Paes Conferred with the Prestigious P C Chandra Puraskaar 2025
One of the most prestigious honours, the P C Chandra Puraskaar, was awarded this year to tennis legend Shri Leander Paes. The award was conferred on 11 May 2025 at a grand ceremony hosted at Science City Auditorium, Kolkata. Instituted by the P C Chandra Group, the Puraskaar recognises outstanding achievement across various fields and celebrates the values of excellence and integrity espoused by the Group's visionary founder, Shri Purna Chandra Chandra. The award ceremony, is held annually on the founder's birthday, paying tribute to his legacy by honouring India's most distinguished personalities who have made significant contributions to society and the nation. Now in its 32nd year, the P C Chandra Puraskaar carries an honorarium of ₹20,00,000/- (Rupees Twenty Lakhs only), which is fully tax-exempt. It remains one of the most respected awards given by a private institution in India. Over the last three decades, the award has been presented to an illustrious array of national icons across disciplines — from music and medicine to sports, literature, social work, and science. Past recipients included ISRO Chairman Shri S. Somanath(2024), World Boxing Champion Smt. Mary Kom (2023), Sarod maestro Ustad Amjad Ali Khan (2022), cricket legend Kapil Dev (2020–21), Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty (2019), legendary singer Smt. Asha Bhosle (2018), and Nobel Peace Laureate Shri Kailash Satyarthi (2017), among many others. In 2025, the award was presented to Shri Leander Paes, one of India's greatest sporting icons and a global ambassador of Indian tennis. Known for his passion, perseverance, and extraordinary achievements on the international tennis circuit, Paes has won 18 Grand Slam titles and is the first Indian to have competed in seven consecutive Olympic Games, earning a bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. His career stands as a testament to the spirit of excellence that the P C Chandra Puraskaar aims to honour. The award ceremony has consistently drawn the presence of esteemed dignitaries from the fields of governance, law, and public service. It has been graced in the past by Governors of West Bengal, including Tribhuban Narayan Singh, Shri Viren J Shah, Shri M K Narayanan, and Shri Keshari Nath Tripathi, along with other eminent personalities such as the Chief Justice of Kolkata High Court, Chairman of the Human Rights Commission, Former Lok Sabha Speaker Shri Somnath Chattopadhyay, and Former Chief Justice of India Justice Altamas Kabir, among others. About the P C Chandra GroupFounded in 1939, the P C Chandra Group has become a name synonymous with trust, tradition, and quality. Best known for its flagship jewellery business, the Group has grown into one of Eastern India's leading business houses. Its jewellery is cherished by patrons across the world and remains a symbol of craftsmanship and elegance. Over the decades, the P C Chandra Group has diversified into various sectors through its group companies, including chemicals and adhesives, software development, real estate, hospitality, social greenery, rubber plantation, rental. Across all its ventures, the P C Chandra Group has upheld its core values of excellence in service, product integrity, and a commitment to social welfare. The Group is also known for its social responsibility initiatives that includes support for education and healthcare, women's empowerment programs, and the promotion of cultural and sporting activities, along with significant efforts towards environmental sustainability. Through the P C Chandra Puraskaar, the Group not only honours individual excellence but also reinforces its own commitment to nurturing and recognising the highest standards of achievement. As the P C Chandra Group marks over 85 years of service and growth, the 2025 edition of the Puraskaar stands as a powerful reminder of its enduring legacy — one that continues to celebrate India's finest and inspires future generations.
