Kolkata Law College Rape Case : Calcutta High Court Orders Closure Of Student Union Rooms In All State Colleges Till Elections

The Calcutta High Court has ordered all union rooms across state-run colleges to be indefinitely shut down till student elections are held in the state.

A division bench of Justices Soumen Sen and Smita Das De passed these orders in light of the alleged gang rape of a law student at South Kolkata Law College by her fellow students and a fomer student & contractual staff at the college.

Notably, student elections were last held in West Bengal in 2017, with various pleas at the High Court highlighting the lack of elected representatives for students in state-run colleges, including observations on the same by High Court Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam.

Reportedly, the victim in the present case had been ushered away by the accused to a room designated for the student union.

While hearing the PILs into the issue of the rape of the student, the court has asked the state to file its affidavit detailing steps taken and answer the queries raised by the litigants regarding the lack of security measures on campus.