The Supreme Court on Friday refused to take suo motu cognisance of the alleged gang rape of a 71-year-old nun at a school in West Bengal.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India H.L. Dattu, however, assured Supreme Court advocate Lily Thomas, who made an oral mention of the rape incident before the court, that it would immediately take up the case when she filed an application as per procedure.
“This is a sensitive matter affecting the society and its institutions. Please file an appropriate application for seeking relief,” the Chief Justice told Ms. Thomas.
“I have come to the highest court. Such criminals take the law for granted. Please act urgently,” Ms. Thomas urged the court.
The incident has triggered protests and outrage across the State with the West Bengal government deciding to hand over the investigation to the CBI.
According to the police, the nun was sexually assaulted by dacoits at a school at Ranaghat in Nadia district of West Bengal.
The district police said a group of dacoits barged into Convent of Jesus and Mary in the early hours and gang-raped her when she tried to resist them.
