Kolkata: The Calcutta High Court has directed the competent authority to pass appropriate order for protection of witnesses in the alleged gangrape and subsequent death of a minor girl in Nadia district without delay. The court said it is necessary to extend protection to the members of the family, as also witnesses of the incident, in view of allegations about threatening comments made by a ruling Trinamool Congress leader in neighbouring Murshidabad district with regard to victims of cases of assault on women.
The high court permitted the filing of witness protection application before the competent authority as specified in the Witness Protection Scheme 2018. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R Bharadwaj directed the competent authority to take a decision on receipt of application and pass appropriate order for witness protection, proportionate to the threat perception without any unnecessary delay.
"Till the said application is decided, the concerned authority will extend full protection to the witnesses and family members of the victim, and will also ensure suitable psychiatric/psychological treatment to them to come out of trauma," the bench said in its order on Wednesday. It also directed the West Bengal government to bear the expenses of witness protection.
Also read: Hanskhali rape and death: Calcutta HC hands over case to CBI, report to be submitted on May 2
The order came on an application by petitioner Anindya Sundar Das, seeking various directions to ensure the protection of the witnesses and family of the victim of the gangrape incident on April 4 at Hanskhali. Phiroze Edulji, the petitioner's lawyer, prayed for concealment of identity of the witnesses and victim's family members, conferring new identities to them, relocate them after consultation to a safer place, and to direct the director of AIIMS to appoint a committee of psychologists/psychiatrists to carry out a psychological evaluation to overcome deep trauma.
Advocate General S N Mookherjee, appearing for the state, did not oppose the prayer for extending protection to the witnesses and the family members of the victim. The Witness Protection Scheme, 2018 provides for the types of protective measures to be undertaken for witness protection proportionate to the threat for a specific duration. The scheme also provides for protection of identity on the basis of a threat analysis report, the change of identity and relocation of witnesses.
PTI
