On Monday, November 25, the Supreme Court ordered a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the alleged custodial torture of two women who were arrested during protests in West Bengal following the rape and murder of a resident doctor at RG Kar Hospital, as per a Bar and Bench report.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan ruled on an appeal by the West Bengal government, which had contested a high court decision to transfer the investigation from the State police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). According to the report, the Supreme Court assigned the probe to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) and directed the Calcutta High Court to oversee it, in order to reduce the burden for the CBI.
Why were they arrested?
The case involves two women, Rama Das and Rebeka Khatun Molla, who were arrested during protests that followed the rape and murder at RG Kar Hospital in August of this year. They are facing charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), 2012, and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The two petitioners stated that they were unexpectedly arrested by the state police on accusations of "instigating" another protestor to make derogatory remarks about the minor daughter of Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee.
Das and Molla later moved a plea before the high court for a CBI probe and compensation on allegations that they were tortured by the state police.
