The Calcutta High Court has granted anticipatory bail to a woman teacher accused of pushing a ‘disabled child’ and allegedly assaulting the child’s mother with a knife, noting that the accused was a ‘working woman’ and directed her to cooperate with the investigation.
Justice Md Shabbar Rashidi noted that the teacher and her husband were alleged to have frequently created disturbances in the disabled child’s family.
“The petitioner being a working lady, the prayer for anticipatory bail is allowed…in the event of arrest, the petitioner shall be released on bail upon furnishing a bond of Rs 10,000, with two sureties of like amount each, to the satisfaction of the arresting officer,” the August 20 order said.
The court, however, directed the petitioner not to “enter into the jurisdiction” where the alleged crime took place.
According to the facts, the woman, a primary school teacher posted at Belda, sought anticipatory bail in a case registered at Police Station, for offences including house trespass, assault or use of criminal force against a woman, causing hurt, criminal intimidation and acts done under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
The teacher and her husband had allegedly visited her maternal grandmother’s house, where the grandmother was reading with the family of the woman who had lodged the complaint. It is alleged that the teacher and her husband used to create disturbances in the complainant’s family.
On the day of the incident, the teacher pushed down the complainant’s disabled daughter. When the child’s mother objected, the teacher allegedly assaulted the mother with a knife. The case diary contained statements of the alleged victim and witnesses, but no injury report was found.
Advocate Tapas Kr Dey, appearing for the teacher, argued that the woman was working as a primary school teacher, and although there was an allegation of a knife assault, no injury had been caused to anyone.
Advocates Biswajit Tiwari and Anirban Kumar Banerjee submitted that the teacher’s husband was still absconding, relying on various materials in the Case Diary, including the victim’s statement recorded under Section 183 of BNSS, as well as the statements of witnesses recorded under Section 180.
Somya Panwar is a legal journalist at The Indian Express (Digital), where she covers the various High Courts across the country and the Supreme Court of India. Her writing is driven by a deep interest in how law influences society, particularly in areas of gender, feminism, and women’s rights. She is especially drawn to stories that examine questions of equality, autonomy, and social justice through the lens of the courts. Her work aims to make complex legal developments accessible, contextual, and relevant to everyday readers, with a focus on explaining what court decisions mean beyond legal jargon and how they shape public life. Alongside reporting, she manages the social media presence for Indian Express Legal, where she designs and curates posts using her understanding of digital trends, audience behaviour, and visual communication. Combining legal insight with strategic content design, she works on building engagement and expanding the desk’s digital reach. Somya holds a B.A. LL.B and a Master’s degree in Journalism. Before moving fully into media, she gained experience in litigation and briefly worked in corporate, giving her reporting a strong foundation. ... Read More
