Woman accusing West Bengal Governor of sexual harassment moves SC over immunity claim
New Delhi: A woman who accused West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose of sexual harassment has moved the Supreme Court, challenging the immunity from criminal proceedings claimed by the governor under Article 361 of the Constitution, as reported by Live Law.
Article 361 provides that the president or a governor is not answerable to any court for the exercise of the powers and duties of their office. Additionally, it states that criminal proceedings cannot be initiated or continued against the president or governor during their term of office.
The petitioner, a former contractual employee at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, has requested the Supreme Court to determine whether "sexual harassment and molestation form part of discharging or performing duties" by the governor to claim immunity, according to Bar and Bench.
“This court has to decide whether a victim like the petitioner can be rendered remediless, with the only option being to wait for the accused to demit his office, which delay will then be inexplicable during the trial, and render the entire procedure a mere lip service, without any justice to the victim herein,” the petition stated.
The petitioner is seeking a thorough investigation by the West Bengal Police and has also requested guidelines regarding the immunity enjoyed by governors under Article 361. Additionally, she has asked for protection for herself and her family, and compensation for loss of reputation, according to Live Law.
The woman accused Governor Bose of inappropriately touching her on April 24 and May 2. In her complaint letter to the Raj Bhavan’s officer-in-charge, she stated, “[Bose] touched some parts of my body forcefully. Even after he sensed that I was feeling uncomfortable, he forced himself again.” She further claimed that Bose made indecent proposals to her.
She also alleged that Officer on Special Duty Sandeep Rajput tried to prevent her from speaking out about the incidents. “[Rajput] snatched my mobile, tried to confine me in one room, and told the staff not to help me,” she said, adding that Rajput threatened other employees not to cooperate with the police investigation.
On May 7, she told The Print that the governor was "hiding behind his immunity" and "threatening" his staff not to speak up about the allegations. The Kolkata Police subsequently filed a first information report against three Raj Bhavan staffers, including the officer on special duty.
On May 24, the Calcutta High Court stayed the proceedings in the case. The single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha observed that Singh had already been granted bail and that the investigation against him was in its preliminary stages.
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Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in India calls current situation 'no war, no peace'
Bengaluru (PTI): Representative of Iran's Supreme Leader in India, Abdul Majeed Hakeem Ilahi on Saturday characterised the ongoing tensions between his country and the Israel-US alliance as a state of “no war, no peace”.
Calling for an immediate halt to the conflict, he said the global stability hinges on those who initiated the war.
He questioned why countries affected by the war and suffering from the energy crisis are not pressuring the US and Israel to stop the aggression.
Addressing a press conference here, Ilahi said Iran did not want the conflict, but was compelled to respond amid continued attacks, even as negotiations were expected to continue.
"Iran didn't want this war, but Iran was forced by the war and several times Iran tried to avoid this war... I don't know what is the condition of these people and these countries (US-Israel)... they want to impose on other countries what they want, and who gave them this authority?" he questioned.
Recalling the negotiations Iran held in Oman, he said talks later moved to Geneva and made progress before being disrupted by sudden attacks.
Ilahi claimed that airstrikes and missile attacks led to the deaths of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, ministers, commanders and civilians.
"They killed a lot of civilians… They attacked a primary school, and they killed 175 innocent girls," he said, claiming over 4,000 deaths, more than 40,000 injuries, and widespread damage to houses, hospitals, universities and public infrastructure.
Despite these losses, he said Iran resisted calls for “unconditional surrender” and stood firm and defended itself.
"They wanted unconditional surrender. Which no one—no one can accept it. Iran said, 'Okay, we are ready to be sacrificed,' but we are not ready to submit ourselves," he added.
He argued that they (US-Israel) proposed the current ceasefire only after realising that they could not achieve any of their objectives after 40 days of conflict.
The envoy further claimed that the ceasefire is not an actual ceasefire, but a “no war, no peace” situation.
Explaining the current situation in Iran, he said conditions remain stable and people are going about their daily lives.
"They are working ....(leading) their ordinary life. They are working—they're going farming and they do everything....and they aren't scared of anything. And they are ready to defend themselves," he added.
Addressing the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, he said the situation was stable before February 28 and all countries benefited from it.
"(For) 10,000 years, the Strait of Hormuz was open...and Iran daily yearly spent a lot for providing security in the Strait of Hormuz... so no one even complained anything about the Strait of Hormuz. Everyone was free...and even our enemies their warship was passing through the Strait of Hormuz," he said.
However, he linked the current maritime instability to the actions of the US and Israel.
"So Iran cannot do anything. Those people who initiated, created and started this war, they have to stop it. And everything will go back to normal," he said.
Criticising the mentality of the "great powerful country", Ilahi said, "they think they have the right to do whatever they want. It should change."
He sought to know why the countries affected by the conflict are not exerting pressure on the US and the "Zionist" regime to halt the war.
"Why are they not asking them? This crisis and problem by which a lot of countries are affected was created by them. A lot of factories are closed and even working days in some countries reduced... A lot of restaurants are closed," he said.
Seeking fairness and justice, Ilahi said instead of asking Iran, all those nations should ask those who initiated this war to stop it, by telling them, "we are suffering."
To a query on international mediation, Ilahi, referring to the US, asked, "Is it acceptable and reasonable that one country orders all countries -- you should not deal with this country, You should not purchase from this country. You should not have business with this country. You should not buy from this country."
Ilahi also highlighted Iran's long-standing ties with India and said, "It is a great country and we respect India and Indians."
"We have 5,000 years relationship and friendship. We are connected to India by education, by philosophy, by culture, by civilisation and by the economy," he said.
According to him, the bilateral cooperation remains strong, citing diplomatic engagement.
"At the moment also, our relationship, collaboration, cooperation with India is very good," he said, adding Iran allowing Indian ships to pass through Strait of Hormuz reflects the ties.
"Iran allowed Indian ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. Why? A lot of countries couldn't get this permission?... The relationship between Iran and India is very good," he added.
He expressed confidence that in future too, the ties between Iran and India will be strong.
