KOLKATA: The Kolkata High Court (KHC) on Saturday issued contempt of court notices to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who is also Chancellor Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan, following an incident in which a 5th grade student of the university’s Patha Bhavan was forced to drink her urine by a hostel warden as a punishment for bedwetting.
A petition was filed by lawyer Tapas Bhanja regarding the incident in which the advocate brought to the court’s notice the violation of its 2004 ruling that banned corporal punishment in Kolkata schools.
A three-member bench of the Kolkata High Court is due to hear the petition on July 27.
According to a report that appeared in The Hindu, notices were also issued to university Vice-Chancellor Professor Sushanta Dutta Gupta, Registrar Manimukut Mitra and Uma Poddar, the accused warden.
The court further directed that a notice be served to the state’s school education department secretary.
The Hindu also reported that earlier, Prime Minister Singh’s office had sought a report from the Union Human Resource Development Ministry regarding the incident.