A rape survivor has come forward with an accusation that she was sexually abused by a magistrate inside his chamber in a court in Tripura. In response to the allegation, a three-member panel, led by Dhalai District and Sessions Judge Gautam Sarkar, has been formed to investigate the matter.
The woman alleges that the incident of sexual abuse occurred on February 16th. On that day, she visited the chamber of the first-class judicial magistrate in Kamalpur. Her purpose in visiting the magistrate's chamber was to have her statement recorded in connection with her rape case.
The woman lodged a formal complaint with the Additional District and Sessions Judge in Kamalpur. In her complaint, she detailed the events that transpired during her visit to the chamber of the first-class judicial magistrate on February 16th.
According to the woman's statement, she went to the magistrate's chamber to have her statement recorded. However, during the process, she alleges that the judge groped her. Following the alleged incident, the woman promptly reacted by rushing out of the magistrate's chamber and informing both the lawyer and her husband about what had occurred. In addition to the woman's formal complaint, her husband also took action by lodging a separate complaint with the Kamalpur Bar Association regarding the incident.
Acting on the survivor's complaint, District and Sessions Judge Gautam Sarkar, along with Chief Judicial Magistrate Satyajit Das, visited Kamalpur's additional district and session judge's office to investigate the matter. The panel consulted with the Kamalpur Bar Association to hear their perspective on the matter, and the association's secretary, Shibendra Dasgupta, communicated their viewpoints to the panel.
In his response, Registrar General V Pandey emphasized that the High Court has not yet received any official complaint regarding the issue in question. Pandey further elaborated that his awareness of the situation stemmed from media coverage and social media platforms. However, he underscored the importance of receiving complaints in an official format, adhering to the procedural requirements established by the legal system.