Tapas Paul case: Calcutta HC questions police, govt inaction

Justice Nishita Mhatre, while hearing the case, questioned the inaction of the state police and asked whether the matter should be entrusted on the CID to probe.

He said nothing has been done after the first information report (FIR) was registered against the Bengali film actor except for asking for video footage from television channels.

The Justice also wondered whether Paul was being treated exceptionally for being a parliamentarian.

The matter will be heard again on Thursday.

A third judge was nominated by the chief justice to  look into the appeal in the  Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Tapas Paul's 'rape' remark after two judges of a division bench of the Calcutta high court differed on the issue earlier.

Justices Girish Gupta set aside Justice Dipankar Datta's order.

Both the appeals made by the West Bengal government and Tapas Paul were dismissed by Justice T Chakrabarty.

Datta had earlier ordered to register a first information report (FIR) against the Bengali film actor turned politician and directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate the issue.

The division bench, however,  extended the stay on Datta's interim order into the matter for three weeks.

In a public meeting in village in West Bengal, Tapas Paulwas caught on camera threatening women of the opposition Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) with rape by his boys, the Union Home Ministry has sought a report from the state on the action taken.

He also threatened to kill people himself with a firearm. 

A second video had also emerged on Paul's another speech where he also threatened to kill and provoked party members to slit the throat of opposition.