Rape survivor alleges sexual abuse by judge in Tripura court

A rape survivor has alleged that she has been sexually abused by a magistrate inside his chamber in a court in Tripura.

A three-member panel headed by Dhalai District and Sessions Judge Gautam Sarkar has initiated a probe into the allegation, a senior advocate said on Sunday.

The woman alleged that the incident of sexual abuse took place on February 16 when she went to the chamber of first class judicial magistrate, Kamalpur to get her statement recorded in connection with her rape.

In her complaint to the additional district and sessions judge, Kamalpur, the woman stated, "I went to the chamber of the first class judicial magistrate to get my statement recorded on February 16. When I was about to give my statement, the judge groped me. I rushed out of his chamber and informed the lawyers and my husband about the incident."

The woman's husband also lodged a separate complaint with the Kamalpur Bar Association over the incident.

Acting on the survivor's complaint, District and Sessions Judge Gautam Sarkar, along with Chief Judicial Magistrate Satyajit Das, visited Kamalpur's additional district and sessions judge's office to investigate the matter.

"The three-member panel headed by the district and sessions judge also met the members of Kamalpur Bar Association on the court premises and sought our point of view on the allegations of the woman. We placed our points before the panel," Shibendra Dasgupta, secretary of the advocate body, told PTI over phone.

Responding to the allegation brought against the judge, Registrar General, Tripura High Court, V Pandey said, "We have not yet received any official complaint regarding the issue. Like other people of the state, I too came to know about it from the media and social media platforms. Once we receive a complaint in a proper format, we will definitely take appropriate action."