Amid an ongoing criminal investigation into the alleged gangrape of a student within the premises of South Calcutta Law College, academic activities resumed on Monday under judicial oversight. Police presence has been reinforced on campus as directed by the Calcutta High Court, which has also issued interim measures concerning institutional governance pending the conduct of student’s union elections.
The incident in question pertains to an alleged gangrape reported on June 25 inside South Calcutta Law College, located in Kolkata's Kasba area. The Kolkata Police arrested three prime accused- Monojit, Pramit, and Zaib, within twelve hours of the complaint, subsequently producing them before the Alipore Court, which remanded them in police custody till July 8. A fourth accused, the college security guard Pinaki, was separately remanded to custody until July 4. On July 2, the Kolkata Police confirmed that its Detective Department would take charge of the investigation. In connection with the ongoing probe, the accused were brought to the college on Friday for a reconstruction of the crime scene.
The matter has escalated to broader judicial scrutiny with the filing of three Public Interest Litigations before the Calcutta High Court. The petitioners raised concerns regarding institutional accountability, the role of the college administration, and the need for systemic safeguards. The Court, in turn, sought a detailed response from the Government of West Bengal, questioning “why the governing body of the college was not included in the case.”
In response to concerns over student safety and institutional control, the Calcutta High Court directed that classes at South Calcutta Law College should resume. Advocate and guest faculty member Somnath Mukherjee stated, “We have already submitted to the high court. The high court has given some guidelines, and we will follow them.”
Further, in a separate but connected directive issued on Thursday, the High Court instructed the West Bengal Higher Education Department to ensure that “the union rooms in all colleges and universities in the state remain locked till the time the students’ union elections in those institutions are conducted and the results are declared.”
The Calcutta High Court permitted the resumption of academic sessions at South Calcutta Law College, subject to adherence to its stipulated guidelines. It also imposed a state-wide embargo on access to student union rooms across higher education institutions, pending conclusion of formal electoral processes. These directions are operative until further orders and are aimed at maintaining campus discipline during the pendency of the criminal investigation.
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