Presidential Intervention: Probe Urged Into Alleged Harassment Of Calcutta High Court Judge's Spouse

Rashtrapati Bhavan has officially communicated with the West Bengal government, urging an inquiry into the complaint lodged by Advocate Pratap Chandra Dey, who is the spouse of Justice Amrita Sinha from the Calcutta High Court.

Justice Sinha's husband has alleged mistreatment by the West Bengal Criminal Investigation Department (CID) during questioning related to a property dispute case. However, the CID has refuted these allegations, dismissing them as "fabricated and groundless."

In a letter directed to the state Chief Secretary, the President's Secretariat has instructed to inform the complainant about the steps taken in response to his grievance.

Advocate Pratap Chandra Dey submitted a complaint on December 19 to the President of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Governor of Bengal CV Ananda Bose, and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, asserting that he was subjected to torture by the Bengal Crime Investigation Department.

It is worth noting that Justice Sinha is overseeing the West Bengal teachers' recruitment scam, where Trinamool Congress (TMC) General Secretary and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee has been summoned for questioning by the Enforcement Directorate.

In his complaint, Pratap Chandra Dey alleged harassment by the Bengal CID under the pretext of interrogating him in the property dispute case. He claimed that instead of focusing on the case for which he was summoned as a witness, CID officials were more interested in extracting information about his wife, Justice Sinha.

According to Dey's complaint to the Bengal government, he was treated as if he were a criminal accused of a serious crime. He stated that during the three-and-a-half-hour interrogation, questions were solely about his wife, and the video recording was manipulated at the CID's discretion. Dey further mentioned that the CID had subjected him to mental torture, branding him as a witness and pressuring him to provide false statements against his wife.

In light of these serious allegations, the letter from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the Chief Secretary has called for an investigation into the matter and requested direct communication with the petitioner regarding the actions taken.