Calcutta High Court Denies Relief To Retd IPS Officer For Remarks On Women Working In Red-Light Areas While Speaking On RG Kar Incident
The Calcutta High Court has denied anticipatory bail to retired IPS officer Pankaj Datta, who was booked under Sections 79 (insulting and provoking a person, with the intention to make such person to commit any offence) and 352 (breaking the public peace, or to commit any other offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
It was alleged that Datta, who had been invited by Presidency University to address a gathering of students on the brutal rape-murder of a doctor at RG Kar medical college last month, had in his speech, stated that, "had this happened at Sonagachi (red-light area) we could have said this can happen-This kind of incident cannot occur at a place like R.G. Kar-from this we should bear in mind."
It was argued by the complainant that the act of the accused in comparing the brutal rape-murder of a doctor to the rape-murder of a sex worker whilst stating that the latter would be an expected incident had insulted the modesty of all those working in the red-light area.
Advocate General for the state submitted that after these comments, those working in Sonagachi had protested and there was a fear of breach of peace in the area.
Accordingly, a single bench of Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj denied the application for anticipatory bail and called for a response to be filed by the respondents.
Case: Pankaj Kumar Datta v State of West Bengal
Case No: WPA 24867 of 2024