The Supreme Court of India on Monday delivered a significant ruling in the case of Sayan Lahiri, an organizer of the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally in Kolkata protesting the rape and murder of a doctor. The court dismissed the West Bengal government’s plea challenging the Calcutta High Court’s earlier order granting bail to Lahiri.
The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, concluded that a ‘prima facie’ case for bail was made out in Lahiri’s case. This ruling constitutes a setback for the West Bengal government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The Calcutta High Court had granted bail to Lahiri, a leader of the Paschim Banga Chhatra Samaj, on Friday. This unregistered student group was one of the organizers of the ‘Nabanna Abhijan’ rally held on August 27th. Lahiri was arrested on the same day for his role in leading the protest, which the police alleged turned violent, resulting in damage to public and private property and attacks on police officers.
Following a petition by Lahiri’s mother, Anjali, seeking to quash the proceedings against him and secure bail, the Calcutta High Court ordered his release from police custody by 2 pm on Saturday. The Kolkata Police complied with the court’s order and released Lahiri on Saturday.
The tragic incident that sparked the protests occurred earlier this month when a woman post-graduate trainee doctor was raped and murdered at the West Bengal government-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital, leading to widespread outrage across the country.
