Wife-swapping case: 2 brothers get judicial custody till Jan 28

Kolkata: The two prime accused of rape and wife-swapping at Karaya, identified as Suranjan Sen and Nilanjan Sen who are the joint owners of a renowned jewellery chain in Kolkata, have been remanded to judicial custody till January 28.

According to Selim Rahman, the lawyer of the accused persons, they were produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate's (CJM) Court at Alipore on Monday after completion of their police remand. Sleuths again submitted an appeal before the magistrate for further police remand.

Meanwhile, the complainant urged before the court stating that she does not want to continue with the case and stated that she had no objection if the accused persons are granted bail. During the hearing on Monday, her lawyers refrained from objecting to Suranjan and Nilanjan's bail petition. After listening to the arguments, magistrate Pradip Ganguly rejected the police remand prayer. Also the bail prayer of the accused persons was rejected. Later the magistrate remanded the accused persons to judicial custody till January 28.

Rahman said: "The complainant stated that she has no objection if my clients are granted bail. She also stated that she does not want to continue with the case. We will soon move to higher court with the bail petition."

On January 3, the complainant had claimed before the police that when she was raped by her brother-in-law, her husband remained a mute spectator.

She also alleged that her in laws used to torture her for dowry and also misappropriated her ornaments (stree dhan) which she received from her family members during the marriage. She was allegedly thrown out of their house in July last year.

After she lodged a complaint with the Karaya police station, a case was initiated on charges of husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty (498A IPC), punishment for criminal breach of trust (406 IPC), voluntarily causing hurt (323 IPC), rape (376 IPC) and unnatural offences (377 IPC). Later, both Suranjan and Nilanjan were arrested.