West Bengal Post-Poll Violence: ASG YJ Dastoor Writes to Editor of Times of India Seeking Retraction of a Misleading Article
(Judicial Quest News Network)
Additional solicitor General of Calcutta High Court Yezdezard Jehandir Dastoor has written a letter to the Editor of Times of India seeking retraction of an article which stated that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had found no evidence in 21 Rape cases filed in aftermath of post-poll Violence in West Bengal.
While referring to the print and web version of Times of India dated January 4,2022 which stipulated that the CBI on Monday informed the Calcutta High Court that it had found no evidence in the 21 rape cases cited by (NHRC) in its report of post-poll violence in the State.
ASG Dastoor said unfortunately the said reports contain not an iota of truth with regard to the statements allegedly made on behalf of the CBI. None of the statements as reported in the aforesaid two articles were made on behalf of the CBI in the hearing yesterday. In fact ,the headlines and the fact, the headlines and the facts and figures mentioned in your said report are absolutely untrue, the letter said.
The ASG, therefore, asked the newspaper to published a retraction and apologise.
ASG further stated in his letter that “it is a cause of concern that suchfalse reports in a sensitive matter have been published by a newspaper of such a repute”
CBI has also issued a press release denying the said report
“CBI had received 29 number of complaints of sexual offences from NHRC till 22.12.2021. Out of these, 02 cases have been decided by CBI for handing over to State SIT on the grounds of nature of offences, in line with the mandate given in the orders of the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court. Further, two complaints relating to same incident of sexual assault were received by CBI which were amalgamated, resulting in registration of only one regular case for investigation. Remaining cases are under progress.”
The reports published in a section media alleging that CBI has found no evidence in 21 cases.
It has been reported in a section of media on 3rd January & 4th January, 2022 that 21 number of instances of Sexual Assault forwarded by NHRC, were closed by CBI alleging that no evidence of Rape, Attempt to Rape, Molestation, Sexual Assault was found in those complaints. News have been published saying it to be based on source input and Second Status Report dated 22.12.2021 submitted by CBI in the Hon’ble Calcutta High Court on Post Poll Violence Cases.
It is further mentioned that the news was carried by other publications as well, and the same was tweeted by Trinamool Congress Parliamentarians
ASG has further submitted that the proceedings in the post-poll violence matters, which were taken up for hearing by the Hon’ble High Court at Calcutta on January 3, 2022, have been reported in the Times of India, Calcutta Edition dated 4.1.2022 respectively.
Unfortunately, the said reports contain not an iota of truth with regard to the statements allegedly made on behalf of the CBI in the hearing yesterday.
ON Monday the ASG had appraised a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava that a total of 52 cases had been registered by the CBI out of which 2 cases had been handed over to the SIT.
Earlier the Calcutta High Court on July,18, directed the chairperson of the BHRC to constitutes a committee to examine complaints by persons displaced by the alleged post-poll violence.
Several petitions alleged that many people from opposition parties were subject to violence by TMC workers. Many of them had to flee their houses due to the violence and they were not being allowed to return, the petitions alleged.
The NHRC after conducting investigations, submitted its report accusing the ruling TMC of turning affairs into the “Law of Ruler” instead of “Rule of Law”.
The seven-member committee recommended that grievous offences that took place in the State, including those of murder and rape, should be handed over to the CBI for investigation, and that such cases should be tried outside the state.
