Calcutta High Court denies relief to retired IPS officer for his remarks on women working in hot zones while speaking about RG Kar incident

The Calcutta High Court has denied anticipatory bail to retired IPS officer Pankaj Datta, who has been booked under sections 79 (insulting and provoking a person, with intent to incite him to commit an offence) and 352 (disturbing public order or committing any other offence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

It was alleged that Datta, who was invited by Presidency University to address a gathering of students on the brutal rape and murder of a medical college doctor RG Kar last month, declared in his speech:“If this had happened in Sonagachi (red zone), we could have said this can happen – this kind of incident cannot happen in a place like RG Kar – we should take it into account.”

The complainant argued that the accused’s act of comparing the brutal rape and murder of a doctor to the rape and murder of a sex worker while stating that the latter was an expected incident had insulted the modesty of all those who worked in the sector. the area reserved for red lights.

The state’s attorney general argued that after the remarks, workers in Sonagachi protested and there were fears of a breakdown of peace in the area.

Consequently, a single bank of Justice Rajarshi Bharadwaj rejected the application for anticipatory bail and asked the respondents to file a reply.

Case: Pankaj Kumar Datta v. State of West Bengal

Case No: WPA 24867 of 2024

Click here to read the order