“Supreme Court, Calcutta high court and Bar Council of India need to step in immediately to restore the confidence of judges and penalise those responsible for it,” said BJP’s IT cell head and the party’s co-in-charge for West Bengal, Amit Malviya.
In the letter dated July 9, Mitra claimed that he received a letter from senior judicial officers of Diamond Harbour sub-divisional court intimating about a Sept 8 incident of a miscreant seen loitering outside the judges’ quarters late at night with the ulterior motive of disconnecting electricity, though the dubious activities had begun from the morning.
“As per the said letter, the officers have expressed their apprehension regarding collusion of the police authority with the miscreants. The matter has been taken up with the local police administration. Such incident surely puts the safety and security of the judicial officers at stake and may be a ploy to infuse fear amongst the judicial fraternity of the sub-divisional court,” the judge said in the letter.
Malviya said that earlier West Bengal Police would slap all opposition leaders with NDPS cases, which was a non bailable offence and ensured jail term of at least six months (the law provides for minimum of 10 years jail, if proven), if not more.
“After Calcutta high court’s diktat asking for video evidence in NDPS cases, the misuse stopped. Pocso is now the new weapon in the hands of WB Police, which is being misused to target opposition leaders and more recently protestors, demanding justice in the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital rape and murder,” the BJP functionary said.
He added in this particular instance, after Bengal Police failed to secure police custody of rival party’s workers, under the stringent Pocso case, presumably on the instructions of a local TMC functionary, it was decided to attack the judges and harm them physically.
“The district police officer, Kumaresh Das, named in the letter, sent criminal elements to cut off electricity at judges’ home before assaulting them in the dark of the night. The plan was, however, foiled when the local security guard alerted the judges. The local thana incharge didn’t show up, when called, even though the judge’s residence is right next to the local police station,” the BJP IT cell chief added.