It is, however, not yet known whether the murder charge mentioned in the FIR will be dropped or not.No senior officer responded to repeated queries by TOI. But lawyers pointed out that like Section 302 of IPC (murder), Section 305 of IPC, too, led to a maximum punishment of death or life sentence. Police have also decided to book the accused—six current and six former JU students—under Section 12 of POCSO Act. The Act says whoever commits sexual harassment upon a child shall be punished with imprisonment for up to three years and fine. The 12 youths, currently in judicial custody, are already charged under relevant sections of West Bengal Prohibition ofRagging In Educational Institutions, 2020, Act.
Police, who have completed the recording of statements of multiple witnesses over the past two months, have not yet clarified if they would place a supplementary charge sheet. The probe found that the 17-year-old fresher was stripped naked, made to walk along the hostel corridor and was forced to lie face-down on the evening of August 9, the day before he died in a hospital following a fall from the balcony.
Three youths—two of them arrested in the main case—were booked for barring cops from entering the hostel and also stopping them from recording the victim’s dying statement. All three are now out on bail.
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Opposition MPs in the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs have raised concerns about the “haste” in adopting draft reports on three bills to replace the IPC, CrPC, and the Evidence Act. They argue that they did not have enough time to review the reports and that experts suggested by them have not been called for examination. Opposition MPs are expected to submit dissent notes, and some have criticized the timing of the meeting, coinciding with festivals. They also allege that the proposed laws are “even more colonial” than the existing ones.
Opposition members of the parliamentary Standing Committee on home affairs have raised concerns about the speed at which draft reports on three criminal justice bills are being adopted. The committee is examining the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and the Bharatiya Sakshya Bills, and has informed its members that the reports will be adopted on October 27. Opposition MPs have criticized the short notice for the meeting and lack of consultation with stakeholders. They have also questioned the expertise of the individuals being called for examination.
A total of 188 police and paramilitary personnel, including three from Tamil Nadu, were killed in the line of duty in India from September 2022 to August 2023, according to Tamil Nadu DGP Shankar Jiwal. The names of all the personnel were mentioned during a Police Commemoration Day parade in Chennai. Jiwal expressed gratitude to the fallen officers and their families, and reaffirmed the commitment to serve society in their honor.
