The Calcutta High Court on Thursday closed contempt proceedings against former Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Kumar Goyal after he issued an unconditional apology for inadvertently disclosing the name of the victim of the RG Kar Rape and murder case during a media briefing last year.
In a letter submitted to the court by his legal team, Goyal, a 1994-batch IPS officer, expressed remorse over the incident. "I had no malicious intention. I express my regret," he wrote.
The case concerned the highly sensitive RG Kar Hospital incident, in which a postgraduate medical trainee was brutally raped and murdered. During a press interaction shortly after the incident, Goyal had named the victim, drawing sharp public and legal criticism for violating legal protocols designed to protect the identities of sexual assault victims.
A division bench comprising Justices Rajasekhar Mantha and Ajay Kumar Gupta noted that while the disclosure was unintentional, such lapses are unacceptable from officers in a disciplined force like the Kolkata Police.
During Thursday’s hearing, senior advocates Sandipan Ganguly and Menaka Guruswamy appeared for Goyal, stating, “CBI has been seeking to investigate this incident. This incident happened suddenly. It was not said with the intention of belittling anyone. He has expressed regret.”
The court ultimately accepted the explanation, observing that the former Commissioner had named the victim “in the heat of the moment” and did not do so with deliberate intent.
However, the petitioner’s counsel, advocate Jay Anant Dehadrai, strongly objected to the court’s acceptance of the apology. “There is no question of an apology here. We are not accepting this,” he stated, referencing earlier Supreme Court rulings that categorically prohibit the public naming of rape victims.
Dehadrai pointed to several apex court judgments, including a notable one by Justices Madan B. Lokur and Deepak Gupta, which stressed the need to safeguard the identity of sexual assault victims to shield them from “unnecessary ridicule, social ostracisation and harassment.”
Although the court disposed of the contempt petition, it underscored the need for systemic change. The bench advised the Director General of Police, West Bengal, to organise regular training workshops for police personnel to ensure they understand how to communicate responsibly, especially in sensitive or sub judice matters.
The judges also suggested that the West Bengal Judicial Academy conduct awareness programmes specifically tailored for police officers. The aim, the court said, should be to make officers aware of what must be withheld in public or media communications to avoid such lapses in future.
