After reviewing the posts presented by the petitioner’s counsel, a Bench comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice H Bhattacharyya issued notice to the CBI.
KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday (5th Sept) directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate “hateful” social media posts containing images of the RG Kar Medical College rape and murder victim. The Court was addressing a plea highlighting disturbing posts circulating online about the victim.
After reviewing the posts presented by the petitioner’s counsel, a Bench comprising Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam and Justice H Bhattacharyya issued notice to the CBI.
The Court remarked, “Since the CBI is handling the investigation, they should assess if any action can be taken. Extremely offensive comments have been posted alongside the victim’s picture. Copies will be served to the advocate, and the CBI will examine the issue. We will hear the matter along with other related pleas on September 18.”
The Court emphasized that all cases concerning the rape and murder incident would be heard on September 18, as the Supreme Court is already addressing a suo motu case on the issue.
Referring to its August 20 order, the Court raised concerns about regulating online content, asking, “How will the State regulate posts on YouTube? Is there any mechanism?”
The petitioner’s counsel argued that, despite court orders, the local police had not taken sufficient action to control these posts.
“People are making vile comments, and if unchecked, it will damage the State’s social fabric,” the counsel said, further noting that the posts were being used to target a specific community, with Muslim names cited as the account holders, though their authenticity was unclear.
Considering these concerns, the Court instructed the CBI to investigate and report back on the next hearing date. This comes after a recent Supreme Court order mandating all news and social media platforms to remove the name, images, videos, and other details of the deceased 31-year-old resident doctor.
