Terming Trinamool Congress MP Tapas Pal’s remarks against women as “outrageous” which surpass “all bounds of civility”, the Calcutta High Court on Monday ordered the registration of an FIR against him and directed the CID to investigate the matter.
Acting on a petition filed by Krishnagore-resident Biplab Chowdhury on July 1, Justice Dipankar Dutta on Monday directed the inspector in-charge of Nakashipara police station to convert the complaint earlier filed by the petitioner into an FIR within 72 hours.
Directing the CID to place a preliminary probe report by September 1, Justice Dutta ordered that the investigating agency should not share the details of the investigation with any other authority.
The probe will be monitored by the court in view of the State Government’s failure to find to see Pal’s speech as a cognisable offence. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the ruling party had earlier ruled out any action against the erring
MP on the grounds that he had tendered his unconditional apology for his statement.
Castigating the police for their lax handling of the case despite the video footage of the hate speech being made public, the court wondered whether the refusal of the men in uniform to see an offence in the speech was result of ignorance or it was a deliberate attempt to delay and damage the investigation process against a ruling party politician.
The court also held that prima facie it seemed — after watching the footage — that the MP had not acted as a parliamentarian.
Pal, who introduced himself to the public as “dreaded ruffian” of the yesteryear, had in three successive public speeches on June 14 threatened the CPI(M) supporters to hack them with choppers and axes and get their women raped by his party men if they dared to touch Trinamool workers.
The speech when made public was condemned throughout the country with the Opposition parties in the lok Sabha demanding his immediate expulsion from the House. The actor-turned-politician did not attend the Budget Session following instructions from his party bosses.