Calcutta HC imposes interim stay on Sonika death case

Kolkata: The vacation Bench of Calcutta High Court passed an order imposing interim stay on model Sonika Singh Chauhan death case on Thursday. Justice Protik Prakash Banerjee ordered that no steps would be taken against actor Bikram Chatterjee within a month's time.

Chatterjee had filed a petition at Alipore court with a plea to dismiss the charges against him which was turned down by the Magistrate. Later, his lawyer filed a petition at the Calcutta High Court challenging the lower court's order of dismissing his plea.

During the hearing, Chatterjee's lawyer Tirthankar Ghosh claimed that the police did not follow the steps properly while probing the case. He also raised questions about how a police officer could investigate a case when he is the complainant himself.

Objecting to the issue, the Public Prosecutor (PP) and lawyer on behalf of Singh's father claimed that there is no bar to investigate a case by an officer who had filed the complaint.

After hearing the arguments of both the parties, Justice Banerjee ordered to involve all the parties related to the case. He also ordered the police not to take any steps against Chatterjee till the next hearing which will take place two weeks later after the vacation ends.

On the other hand, charges will be framed at the lower court on December 3.